


The Doctor's Daughters

by TheDoctorsDaughters



Series: The Doctor's Daughters [1]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Adventure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-08-06
Packaged: 2018-07-29 18:37:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7695070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDoctorsDaughters/pseuds/TheDoctorsDaughters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When two girls find a blue box in the middle of the woods, and are surrounded by Cybermen, who knows how much trouble they'll get into.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cyber-napped

On a cold winter night, three children and a teenager sat around a lit fireplace in a warm, cozy living room.  
"Will you tell us a story Meaghan?" the only boy asked the teenager.  
"I guess so. It's not like I'm doing anything else,"she replied. "What story?"  
"The one about The Doctor!" all three children yelled in unison.  
"Really? Okay, but your parents don't like this story. So, if they get back before the end you just have to wait until I have to babysit you guys again for the rest."  
"Okay, that’s fair. We did make you build a snow fort with us and then collapse it on our neighbor," said the boy.  
"At least I got him out of there before he started to cry. Anyway, It was a dark and stormy night... Okay... Maybe it was just dark and windy, but it was still scary. Not that I would admit that to my friend, Darby."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

We were walking through the woods five blocks away from the orphanage. It was a windy night and it threatened to storm at any moment. Not that I would mind, I love storms. I was about to throw a snowball at Darby but her scarf got caught in a low hanging tree branch.  
Turning to untangle herself she said "Meaghan? Could you help me? I’m kind of stuck..."  
So I walked over to see what I could do, but the scarf was old and very frayed so it was stuck beyond fixing.  
"I'm sorry Darby, but I'm going to have to cut the scarf or the tree, and it'll take a while to cut through the tree branch..."  
"Don't you DARE cut this scarf! It was my mom’s!"  
"Okay, Okay!!" I said as I pulled out my pocket knife and started to cut the branch as close to the scarf as I could safely cut. "How did this happen?"  
"That's a very good question."  
As I finished cutting through the branch, I heard a metallic stomping sound  
(like a lot of people wearing full plated armor were stomping around the forest).  
The sound made me even more scared of the dark woods.  
Thinking it was just my imagination, I whispered "What are we even doing out here?!?!"  
"Oh...right...I forgot to tell you. Uh... People who come into this forest at night are never seen again-"  
"What?! And you thought it was a good idea to come out here at night?! We're just kids. What can we do?!? I thought you were the smartest kid in the orphanage?!" I yelled loud enough to be heard through the forest.  
"That’s why I brought you - to protect me. And keep your voice dow-"  
She was cut off as the stomping sound got very close. I turned to face the sound just in time to see twenty metal men stomping out of the trees and holding their right hands out.  
With a deep, gravely, robotic voice they said in unison "You will be upgraded."  
Without thinking I turned around, grabbed Darby’s hand, and ran in the other direction.  
Dodging the trees, we finally came to a clearing.  
The clearing had a blue box in the center. A man with a tweed jacket and dark red bowtie was leaning against it. He had dark brown hair that kind of flopped down the side of his face. We didn't see much else since we were focused on not being "upgraded".  
When we reached the man he said "Hello, my name is the Doctor-"  
He didn't get to finish his sentence since the metal men had surrounded us and the blue box.  
"You will be upgraded!" They just wouldn't stop repeating that phrase.  
"Are they going to kill us?" Darby asked in a panic. The Doctor, who was now pointing a long metal thing (that was making a strange whirring sound) at the metal men.  
"No. They're planning to make you into one of them. Well, I guess it’s almost the same thing. So, yes, they’re planning to kill you."  
"I doubt my knife will have much effect on them..." I said sadly.  
"Well look on the bright side." Darby said.  
"How could there possibly be a bright side?!" I almost yelled at her.  
"Since we're orphans, no one will miss us," she said matter-of-factly.  
"How is that a good thing?! I have to babysit on Friday!" I yelled at her.  
In the few seconds it took to say all that, three things happened. The Doctor was waving his metal glowing stick at the monsters, I was drawing my pocket knife and stepping between Darby and the advancing metal men, and a blue beam shot down from the sky.  
"They are called Cybermen," explained the Doctor, "and I won't let you girls die today."  
At that moment the blue beam teleported the three of us and the blue box into a hallway that seemed to go up forever. It had Cybermen all up and down the wall in alcoves that looked to be just big enough for one Cyberman. They looked like they were sleeping, if metal men could sleep, that is.  
"Oh great, now we're on the Cybermen spaceship." He looked around. "Well since I was interrupted by our metal friends last time, I'm The Doctor, who are you?"  
"I'm Darby and this is my friend Meaghan."  
Right after she said that, another blue beam shot at the blue box and it disappeared.  
"No!" The Doctor shouted.  
"What’s the box for?" Darby asked him.  
"Its my ship. It's called the TARDIS, it can travel anywhere in space and time, and it is bigger on the inside."  
"Can it really travel in time?" Darby whispered in awe.  
"Yes and it is the most powerful ship in the universe so I’d rather not lose it!"  
"Awesome!" Darby and I replied in unison.  
"Is no one going to mention the Cybermen on the wall?" I asked.  
"We should whisper. Now let's find my TARDIS."  
As we made our way down the hall I whispered "Still not mentioning the Cybermen on the wall?"  
"Ignore them," he whispered back.  
At the end of the hallway there was a closed metal door with no handles, but there was a small panel beside it on the wall.  
"My sonic will wake up the Cybermen. We're stuck!" The Doctor whispered.  
“Your what?” I asked  
He looked at me like I was a small child and replied, “This thing.” He held it up. “It is called a Sonic Screwdriver. It can do almost anything. Open any door, lock any lock, and fix anything.”  
“Can it really work on anything!?” Darby seemed astonished.  
“Anything and everything! Except wood…”  
“HA!! It’s like a downgraded multitool! At least THOSE work on wood!”  
In response to the Doctor’s boasting about his high-tech screwdriver, Darby walked around him and looked at the panel by the door. She then pulled a normal screwdriver out of her jacket pocket and pried the panel open, then she put the screwdriver back in her pocket and started messing with the wires, occasionally pulling out a tool or two from her pockets. After about five minutes the door slid open, surprising the Doctor.  
"How did you do that?" he asked her.  
"Easy, she just switched the power from keeping the door closed to keeping the door open." I whispered.  
"Oh... Well come on then. They probably took the TARDIS to the main control room," the Doctor replied looking a little upset because someone outshone him.  
The Doctor grabbed both of our hands and led us on. He seemed like he knew exactly where he was going.  
“So…” Darby said. I could tell what she was going to say. We’ve always been able to predict each others actions and thoughts.  
“Doctor Who?” We said in unison.  
He looked at us with something on his face. Still, I can’t decide what it was. Surprise? Confusion? I’m not sure. He didn’t answer our question though. Instead, he asked us something.  
“How do you keep doing that?”  
“Doing what?” We both replied at the same time.  
“That. Saying the same thing as each other. Predicting what the other is going to say. I can’t even do that. It’s… fascinating and... somewhat scary…”  
“We don’t know HOW we can do it.” Darby replied.  
“We just can.” We both replied.  
“Stop that! I don’t know how you do that, and I really hate not knowing. Once I get the TARDIS back and we get off this ship I’ll figure it out. Just quit doing that for now. Ok?”  
“We’ll try but it really isn’t up to us. It just…” I replied.  
“Happens.” We both told him.  
“Fine.” He sighed. “Let’s go find the TARDIS.”  
The Doctor led us down a long corridor. Every few yards we passed a door with more Cybermen “recharging”.  
“So, are we in a real alien spaceship?” I asked.  
“Yes. You are in a real live alien spaceship.” He responded as if we were small children and he was our father trying to please us.  
“Wow…” Darby whispered.  
“So how many types of aliens are on board? Just the Cybermen or are there more?” I asked. The Doctor stayed silent so Darby pressed on.  
“Doctor?” Silence. “DOCTOR!!!”  
He seemed startled that someone had hollered at him.  
“Oh! Yes Darby?”  
“Answer Meaghan’s question.” She said in the voice she uses when trying to get what she wants.  
“Oh alright. Two. There are two species on board. If you count humans then there would be three.”  
We stared in awe.  
“So what is the other species?” We said together.  
He grabbed our hands and dragged us on down the hall. We were moving very swiftly, so we figured we should drop the matter.  
About five minutes of speed walking trying to find the TARDIS, the Doctor stopped and shushed us. We heard the metallic stomping of footsteps as he pulled us into a small dark closet. Suddenly we were all grabbed from behind by strong cold arms. Darby and I screamed and kicked and tried to wrench ourselves out of the strong grip of our captors, all of the defense mechanisms we were taught in the orphanage, but it was no use.  
“Don’t struggle, girls. Just relax. It will be ok. There is no use draining your energy now. Just try to calm down.”  
“CALM DOWN!?!?!?” We both screamed at him.  
“You will be upgraded,” The Cybermen announced in unison.  
We were both small enough for a cyberman to pick us up and carry us, one on each arm. The Doctor was dragged along by two others.  
They took us to a medium sized room with some kind of machine that didn’t look reassuring for our survival.  
“You will be upgraded.” They informed us for the hundredth time.  
“Doctor if you had a plan, now would be a good time to put it into action!” We both hollered.  
“Working on it!” He shouted back.  
As the Cyberman took us closer to the machine in the center of the room, I saw a broken Cyberman arm on the ground just out of reach.  
“Lets give the Cybermen a hand,” I tell Darby.  
When I looked back at the arm, it started to move. Then it shot towards the Cyberman that was holding us, and hit it in the head - making the Cyberman and us fall over. The Cyberman let go of us and we fell to the floor. Darby and I quickly got up and looked at the two cybermen who were holding the Doctor's arms.  
“I think it's time for a round of applause.” We said together.  
And the arm flew through the air and hit both Cybermen in their faces. As they fell to the ground, they let go of the Doctor.  
Standing wide eyed in shock, he asked “How did you do that?!”  
“We told you before,” we said together. “We don’t know why we just know-”  
“Who.” The Doctor asked “Are you?”  
“Nevermind that!! RUN!” We both yell at him, grabbing his hands and running out the other door, as the Cybermen got to their feet.  
We ran down corridor after corridor, and after we were all out of breath, we stopped outside a closed metal door like the very first one we came to.  
“This time I CAN use my Sonic.” The Doctor said while glaring at Darby.  
He pointed his Sonic Screwdriver at the heavy metal door and within seconds the door slid open.  
“Ha! Three seconds.” The Doctor beamed proudly.  
“We have never seen a Cyberman or their kind of technology, you should be amazed that she got it open at all.” I said a bit too calmly.  
“Right. Well, we need to find my TARDIS. Come on,” he said in a bit of an annoyed tone.  
So off we went. We ran around the ship dodging Cybermen, hiding in closets, and running down corridors. Darby and I were, I hate to say, having fun. We had hid from people before so we were rather good at it but this was different. We had never felt this much of a rush before. It was… exciting.  
“My TARDIS should be up ahead in the main control room. Come on.”  
He grabbed our hands and started running. Only… that’s where it got complicated…  
We ran and ran and we were almost there when, all of a sudden, ten Cybermen came out and blocked the door. We thought nothing of it. I mean, we had been doing this for the past couple of hours now. It wasn’t that much of a problem. Except… We got too comfortable…  
Darby and I went to do the same attack technique we had been doing. I run left, Darby runs right, and The Doctor runs straight forward and we take them all out. We did the same thing but I guess the other Cybermen sent out a warning because they were waiting for it.  
Three went for me, three for Darby, and four for the Doctor. The Doctor and I got through fine. It was Darby we had to worry about. One of the Cybermen shot her in the stomach. She fell to the ground, unconscious. I screamed for her but she wouldn’t wake up. I thought she was dead. The Doctor ran to her and slung her over his shoulder grabbing my hand in the process, taking us both to his ship.  
I was crying as he unlocked the blue box. When we entered, I was so distraught that I didn’t pay any mind to the fact that the small blue box had a large room on the inside with doorways opening into corridors. I couldn’t even bother to ask what he was doing with all of the buttons and levers on the console. She was gone. My best friend. My only friend.  
I felt Darby’s pulse. There was a heartbeat! “DOCTOR!!! SHE’S STILL ALIVE!!!! YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!!!!!!” He remained silent, rushing around the console flipping levers and pressing buttons. “Doctor… Please… She’s my best friend…”  
He still said nothing. I began crying harder than ever. Then he did something suddenly - something I didn’t expect. He walked over to me and told me he needed me to stay in the TARDIS while he took Darby somewhere.  
“No!” I told him. “She is my friend and I am not leaving her!”  
“Please Meaghan… Just listen to me.”  
“No!”  
“Then I’m sorry but I have to do this.”  
He looked at me with sadness in his eyes and put one of his hands on either side of my head. Then I blacked out.  
I woke up in a chair near the console to the sight of The Doctor walking around the TARDIS pressing buttons.  
“Ow… It feels like I was hit with a piano… What happened?” I asked.  
“Yeah… That's a side effect… Sorry...Anyway, Darby is at a hospital.”  
“Really? What if i don’t believe you?”  
“Yes, she's fine. Well as fine as you can be in that situation. It's a good thing that we got her there in time. So where do you live?”  
“You think I’m going to tell you?!”  
“You are if you want to go home.”  
“I WANT TO SEE MY FRIEND!”  
“I can’t take you to her.”  
“WHY NOT?!”  
“Because you would be scared of the people that work there!”  
“Really? I was just captured by Cybermen, almost killed, and YOU THINK THAT I WOULD BE SCARED OF HOSPITAL STAFF?!”  
“Well… They’re cats…”  
“Cats… You think I would be scared of cats?”  
“Meaghan… You don’t understand. It might be hard for you. She’s in a lot of pain right now and I don’t want you to have to see that. You’re only a kid. You don’t need to see your best friend suffer. I’m taking you home.”  
“I. AM. NOT. A. KID.”  
“Everyone is a child to me. Don’t argue.”  
“HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOUR BEST FRIEND, YOUR ONLY FRIEND, GOT HURT AND THEN YOU COULDN'T EVEN SEE IF THEY WERE ALIVE OR DEAD, AND ALL YOU COULD GO ON WAS THE WORD OF A COMPLETE STRANGER?!?!”  
He looked sad. Lonely even. Like I had just offended him. I was just angry but the look he gave me… It was awful… It made me feel bad for him. So I went along with it. He took me home and promised he’d come get me when Darby was better.  
Then he left. He dropped me off at the front of the orphanage and the blue box disappeared with only a wheezing, groaning noise to tell of its departure.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The children and Meaghan heard the front door open and a female voice yell “Children we’re home!”


	2. The Doctor's Daughters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After waking up in a strange place, Darby meets back up with Meaghan. The two girls and the Doctor go on a trip to a mysterious planet where all the people are pink!

The Doctor’s Daughters  
I wake up in a bed. The last thing I remember is getting shot by a Cyberman while with The Doctor and Meaghan. Where are they now? How long have I been here? I look around and all I see is a television in front of me and a bathroom to my left. There is a window to my right. I try to lift myself out of the bed to get a look but as soon as I move I feel a terrible pain shoot through my body. Grimacing, I push myself up. Sitting on the edge of the bed I breathe heavily. Slowly I stand up and make my way to the window, stumbling every few steps, and having to stop to regain my balance.  
I finally make it to the window and what I see next astounds me. Flying cars. Everywhere. I almost fell over due to shock. I couldn’t have been out long enough for this to happen! I go into the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror. I’m pale. Really pale. I’ve gotten really weak too. This isn’t good. I put my hand on my head and realize there is an electronic bracelet taking my pulse on my wrist. I start to walk back out to the bedroom but I can feel myself slipping away. I fall down and stay awake long enough to hear a siren go off coming from my bracelet.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
I wake up and I'm back in my bed. A nurse is next to my bed checking a screen. I can't see her face due to her big white hat being in the way.  
“Wher-” I can’t finish the question. My voice trails off.  
“Don’t try to talk, dear. Save your energy. You really were hurt bad weren’t you? Well, traveling with The Doctor…” She trailed off. There was a slight purr to her voice.  
I have so many questions but I can’t speak. I'm so tired. There is an IV in my arm. I think she’s giving me a sedative. I can’t keep my eyes open. So tired…  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
I wake up with a start. The nurse is in my room checking the screen again. I need to know where I am. I need to know where Meaghan is.  
“Where am I?” It comes out slowly at first.  
“Oh! You’re awake! Hello dear. You’re in the hospital. Its alright. Don’t be afraid. Now that you’re all rested we can talk.” The nurse replies in that smooth purring voice. She turns to face me.  
“You’re… You’re a cat!” I stammer, highly surprised.  
“Yes, Darby. I am indeed a cat. The very best nurse in this hospital. The Doctor made sure you were taken care of. Don’t worry. It is the year 5,000,200,159 on New Earth. We are in New New York. The Doctor left you here because we have state of the art technology. He even made sure you got a private room! We almost couldn’t save you but he brought you here just in time. Now just stay in bed.” She said in her calming voice.  
“How long was I asleep?” I asked wearily.  
“Oh… About four weeks.” She said casually as if four weeks wasn’t a long time whatsoever.  
“What!?!?!? No! I have to go!” I try to get up but she stops me and injects another sedative through my IV.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
I wake up to people talking outside my room.  
“Doctor she must rest longer.” The nurse insisted.  
“Matron I’m more than positive I can take care of her. I just needed you to keep her here until she woke up. She’ll be safe in the TARDIS. Besides, I’m taking her back to the orphanage. It’s my fault she’s hurt so I will make sure she’s safe.” The Doctor replies.  
“Alright Doctor. But I’m just warning you that she is still very weak. Just be careful with her for now.”  
“Like I said, I’m only taking her back to the orphanage. She’ll be safe there. Now, I’m going to go talk to her.”  
The Doctor walks into my room. I can see he can tell that I’m still frail. He walks over and touches my hand.  
“Darby, are you alright?”  
“I’m fine, Doctor. Where’s Meaghan? I need to see her.” I start to get up and he helps me stand. “I can’t walk very well.”  
“That’s alright. We’ll get a hoverchair.” He walks out and comes back in with a hovering chair with two handles in the back.  
He helps me sit down and pushes me out to the main desk. Once he checks me out, we go outside to the TARDIS. We go in and he closes the door. I look around. I haven’t seen the inside yet. It’s HUGE on the inside!  
“Uh… Doctor…”  
“Yes Darby?”  
“It’s… Uh… bigger on the inside…”  
“Yes I was wondering if you’d notice. Ok we are here.” He says.  
Suddenly, there is a frantic knock on the door.  
“Looks like your friend heard us.” The Doctor remarks with a smile.   
"Doctor!" I hear Meaghan shout on the other side of the door. "Let me in!"  
The Doctor pushes me over to the door and yells to Meaghan. "Stand back!" And opens the door.  
I raise my hands above my head to block the bright sunlight.  
"Darby!"   
"Okay, you guys. I'm going to have to take the hoverchair back with me. So let's get Darby inside before anyone notices."  
We go around the orphanage to enter through the back so no one will see the hoverchair. Right after we closed the back door, we heard voices coming down the hall.  
“So you’re telling me that you have no idea where that girl went?”  
It is the social services.  
“It sounds bad, I know, but she vanished. Meaghan says that she just went to her friends house but I don’t think so.”  
That’s the carer.  
“Doctor… we need to get to the room Meaghan and I share. It’s upstairs. I’m assuming this can’t go up stairs.” I say.  
“I can carry you Darby.” Meaghan replies.  
Meaghan picks me up out of the hoverchair and begins to climb the stairs. The Doctor hides the hoverchair behind the stairs then follows us up. Meaghan lays me on my bed in our small room. The Doctor turns to her.  
“Meaghan, you need to look after her. Bring her food, help her get around. Basically, just make sure she stays in bed unless she really needs to get up. I know you’ll take care of her. I can’t stay here. I will come back soon, though, to check up on her. I promise. I need to go now. Goodbye Meaghan. Darby.”  
“Goodbye Doctor. We’ll miss you.” We say to him in unison.  
“Right… That still freaks me out…” He gives us a sad smile and leaves.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
The Doctor has been gone for five months now. I’ve healed. I still haven’t gained my strength back but I was never that strong to begin with. I can walk fine now but Meaghan still babies me. I keep telling her I’m fine but I think she’s afraid I’ll get hurt again. I also think the carer told her to keep her eye on me. Meaghan pulls out Sorry! and suggests playing. We both love Sorry! so of course we play.  
Halfway through the game we hear something. Its a strange wheezing groaning noise. I have never heard it before but Meaghan gets excited so I just go along with it. She tells me to follow her so I do. She runs straight to the backyard of the orphanage and there, leaning against that blue box, is The Doctor.  
“Doctor!” We scream together and go running towards him.  
“Hello girls! All better Darby?”  
“I’m fine! Don’t fuss!” I joke.  
He holds the door to his TARDIS open and waves his hand towards the inside in a “come in” gesture. We both excitedly run into the TARDIS and sit in the chairs near the console.  
“Would you like to go somewhere?” He asks us.  
“Of course! But we need to be back soon. We can’t be gone too long or else the carer might be worried again.” Meaghan replies.  
“And tomorrow is adoption day!” We both say excitedly.  
He nods and runs around the console excitedly. He flips levers and pushes buttons and reads something on a screen. He seems to know exactly what he’s doing. He looks like a child on Christmas. Like he’s just gotten something he’s always wanted and now he’s sharing it with friends.   
“Ok! We are on the planet Antario. Home to the Antarians. Would you like to see?” He says excitedly.  
“Yes!!!” We say together.  
The Doctor gestures for us to open the door and when we do we see pink. Pink grass, pink trees, even pink people! We run outside overwhelmed by excitement. Even the people are pink!  
“Wow!” We both say, astounded.  
“Welcome to the pink planet! That’s what other planets refer to it as.” The Doctor remarks with a huge smile spreading across his face.  
We walk around for a little bit when we hear a scream. Meaghan and I don’t know what to think of it but The Doctor reacts immediately. He grabs our hands and runs towards the scream until we reach a small pink house. The Doctor rushes inside and we find a small girl sitting in the corner shaking.  
“Hello. I’m The Doctor.” He says softly, “What’s your name?”  
“Rhian…” She replies, not looking at us.  
“Hello Rhian. Are you alright?” He says trying to comfort her.  
As The Doctor talks to the girl, I look around the small house. There is broken glass everywhere on the ground and a broken chair in the corner.  
“He came and took my dad.” Rhian says in a very small and sad voice.  
“Who did?” The Doctor asks “Who took your dad?”  
“The… Drude…” Rhian says in a very scared voice.   
“What’s the Drude Rhian?”  
“On earth the Drude is a German malevolent spirit. Here it might not be just a fairytale.” Meaghan and I tell him in unison.  
“I keep forgetting to figure out why you two keep doing that…” The Doctor says with a sigh. ”Where’s your mum Rhian?”  
“She was taken to the Drude three years ago and never came back.”  
“Oh… Ok… Right. Now, can you tell us which way it went after it took your dad?”  
“I didn’t see which way but i know where it lives. Everyone here does.”  
“Excellent! Alright. Lead the way Rhian!”  
We started our walk to the home of the Drude. As we walk we keep seeing these pink dragons flying overhead. They are about the size of birds and they seem harmless. The Doctor is scanning everything with his Sonic Screwdriver.  
“Here it is Doctor.” Rhian tells us.  
“The home of the Drude is in this cave?” Meaghan and I ask together.  
“Yes.” Rhian confirms, “Be careful if you go in there.”  
“Would you like to stay out here Rhian?” asks The Doctor  
Rhian nods. The Doctor leads the way in and Meaghan and I follow. We walk in to the dark, damp cave and look around. The Doctor is rapidly scanning everything in the cave. We keep hearing scary sounds from every direction. I’m terrified and I’m pretty sure Meaghan is too. I don’t know what is making the noise but I’m pretty sure it isn’t good. The Doctor doesn’t seem phased at all.  
“D- Doctor?” I say, trembling.  
“Yes Darby? What’s wrong?” He responds.  
“I might be… Just a tiny little bit… Terrified…”  
“Really? Of what?”  
“The… The cave…”  
“Oh there’s nothing to be afraid of. Those are just sounds.”  
“Alright…”  
We carry on walking through the cave, stopping every once and a while to wait for The Doctor as he scans something. Finally, we see some light. We walk through the cave to a large room. There are large metal doors lined on the walls. About fifty to each wall. We walk in and The Doctor immediately starts scanning each door.  
“It seems that there are people behind these doors…” The Doctor states while scanning the next door.  
“Why aren’t they trying to escape?” Meaghan and I ask.  
“They seem to be sedated… Let’s open one.”  
“WHAT!?!?” We yell together.  
“Well how else are we supposed to see what its like in there?”  
Meaghan and I are both still scared but we don’t protest anymore. The Doctor points his Sonic at the panel next to one of the doors. The panel turns green and opens. The Doctor looks at us then opens the door slowly.  
Inside there is a man, maybe in his forties, fast asleep. The Doctor looks for a way to wake him up and notices a tube coming out of his arm. He disconnects it and the man instantly wakes up.  
“Ah hello! I’m the Doctor and these young ladies are Meaghan and Darby!” The Doctor tells him.  
“You’ve got to get me out of here before the next cycle starts!” The man says.  
“Before the next what?” Meaghan and I say together.  
“Cycle! The next nightmare cycle! Please! Get us out of here!” The man almost yells in a panic.  
“Alright we will, but first, what is your name sir?” The Doctor asks him.  
“Alyan!”  
“Ah, alright. Hello Alyan. Nice to meet you. What brought you here, exactly?”  
“The Drude! It plagues us all, taking family members to this place so it can feast on their nightmares!”  
Suddenly a low growl came from the ceiling of the room.  
“It’s coming to kill us all!” Aryan shouts.  
We all look up to see a creature eight feet tall hanging off the roof. It looked at us with black holes where its eyes should be. Its skin is blood red and it had no mouth. The “Drude” is wearing a black cloth that looked like a cocoon around its body. It wriggles around for about a minute when the cloth cocoon turns into a kind of toga. He climbs down from the ceiling and begins advancing towards us.  
“It’s not a Drude… Drudes don’t exist. This is a Vishklar.” The Doctor informs us, “And it is an awful long way from home. What are you doing in this cave? Your kind prowl around at night to feed off of nightmares. You aren’t supposed to be kidnapping people to feed yourself!”  
“Doctor what do you mean it feeds off nightmares?” Meaghan and I ask.  
“They are from the Seretti dimension. They go to different worlds and find sleeping people who are having nightmares and feed off of the fear that is created there. They are completely harmless. Only this one seems to have developed his own system… It seems he’s been kidnapping people, making them sleep in these pods, and then creating nightmares in all of their heads so he can feed off of their fear. But now we have a problem because I can’t let this go on. Now, you can either let these people go and survive the proper way for your species, or I’m going to have to shut you down. Your choice.”  
The Vishklar responds with a snarl. He begins advancing towards us growling.  
“Alright. I gave you a choice and you made the wrong one.” The Doctor says.  
The Doctor takes out his Sonic and points it at the main control panel. All of the doors fling open and all the sedatives stop. All of the people wake up immediately and begin to panic.  
“Darby, Meaghan, get everyone out of the cave. Now!” The Doctor commands.  
We do as told and help everyone get out of the large cave, leading them through the long tunnel to the entrance. We hear an explosion behind us and the Doctor’s voice telling us to keep running and don’t look back. We exit the cave and right after us comes the Doctor. He grabs Rhian and tells everyone to keep running after him. A few seconds later we stop and turn around to see fire spewing out of the cave entrance. The Doctor puts Rhian down and she runs to a man and woman who we assume are her parents.  
“Ok, lets get you two home. The adoption day is tomorrow right? I’ll just drop you off then.” The Doctor says.  
He grabs our hands and leads us to the TARDIS. We are sad it has to be over but we need to go home. We walk into the TARDIS and sit in the chairs near the console. The Doctor runs around flipping the switches and pressing the buttons.  
“I’m going to miss this… I wish it would have lasted longer…” Meaghan says.  
“Me too…” I agree.  
The Doctor gives us a smile. His eyes don’t seem sad… They seem… Glad. Is he happy we are leaving? I can’t help but wonder.  
“Here you are!” He remarks happily.  
We hug him tight. We don’t want to leave. He seems so lonely. He needs people to travel with.  
We go to our room to get ready for adoption day when the carer comes up.  
“Girls! You have someone wanting to adopt you! He seems like a nice young man! Although his outfit is a little strange.”  
We both squealed in excitement. We had an adopter! Someone actually wanted us! It had been a while since we had even had an interview. Although the man had never even met us so it is a little odd that he wishes to adopt us. We pack our things and hurry downstairs after putting on our best clothes.  
“Girls, this is the nice man who wants to adopt you! His name is John Smith.” The carer said with delight.  
The man turned around and smiled. Standing there was no stranger. It wasn’t by chance that he wanted to adopt them.  
The man standing in the carer’s office is the Doctor.


	3. A Fall In The Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being taken in by the Doctor, the girls are excited for everything the future has in store.

Darby and Meaghan ran to the TARDIS with the Doctor. He pulled them inside and shut the door, delighted with himself. The girls laughed and sat down on the chair near the console. The Doctor ran around pushing buttons and flipping levers until they had gone away from the orphanage.  
“Alright girls! Where or when do you want to go?” the Doctor asked them ecstatically.  
“Um… Before we go anywhere, do you have any clothes we can change into? These clothes are old and faded. We need something better if we are going adventuring!” Meaghan said in a matter-of-fact way.  
“Well… That’s the first time anyone’s asked that question. Sure. There is a wardrobe through there, first left, second right, third door on the left, straight ahead to the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on the left. Go on then!”  
Meaghan and Darby ran through the corridor expecting a small room with a few shirts and pants. Instead, they found a whole room filled with coats, boots, pants, shirts, hats, and all other articles of clothing. They stood there amazed and then got to work creating their outfits.  
Darby found a long dark blue shirt and jeans - nothing special. Suddenly, something caught her eye. A long, tan coat folded neatly on the tallest shelf. She climbed the shelves to reach the coat. When she had it, she jumped down and looked at it. It was old, but still in tact. She put it on and admired how it flowed when she walked. Darby took one last look around the room for shoes. She found some black and white high top converse and slipped them on. She decided that this would be her new outfit. She took her mother’s scarf and wrapped it neatly around her neck then went to go see what Meaghan had put together.  
Meaghan was looking through the piles of clothes, trying to find something awesome to wear. She had just about given up on it when she saw something dark red sticking out of a pile she hadn't gotten to yet. Curious, she walked over and pulled it free of its imprisonment. Shaking it out she saw it was a skirt, and something fell off of it. Picking it up she saw it was a tie of the same color. Once she looked around some more, she found some black high top converse that came to below her knee, blue jeans and an off-white button up shirt with puffy sleeves. She was just about to leave, when she saw a black and blue vest hanging on the corner of a mirror. Once she had changed she went to see what Darby had found.  
The girls looked at each other and compared outfits. They laughed when they noticed they both chose high top converse. They looked in the mirror with satisfaction, then went back down to meet the Doctor in the control room.  
They came running down with joy to show him what they had chosen out of his vast collection. He admired Meaghan’s style. Upon looking at Darby’s long coat, he simply nodded and said “Nice coat. I like it.” Then he began pressing buttons on the TARDIS console.  
As the TARDIS started to materialize, a pounding sound in their heads forced Darby and Meaghan to fall to the ground.  
The Doctor, thinking it was just the TARDIS making them fall, laughed and said "You should have probably found something to hold on to."  
When they stood up, they just smiled and pretended they were fine. In reality, their heads were pounding to a four drumbeat rhythm. But they were used to it by now since it had started happening shortly after they arrived at the orphanage. It didn’t come all the time - only once in a while. It never lasted more than a few minutes. When it did happen, though, they became light headed, and their eyes started to tingle.  
The Doctor walked over to the door and right as he touched the handle, they felt the TARDIS fall. Darby and Meaghan grabbed the railing and the Doctor had to hold on to the door handle to stay upright. It felt like they were falling for hours (but it had only been a couple of minutes) when the TARDIS finally stopped falling. The Doctor opened the door and right in front of him was an angel statue with its fangs bared in a horrifying snarl.  
"Well then, we were just leaving. Sorry to bother you!" the Doctor told the angel statue quickly as he closed the door.  
As soon as the Doctor turned around, the girls saw that the door was now open and the angel statue was holding the Doctor’s arms.  
"Don't blink!" the Doctor yelled at them, "They’re quantum locked, they can’t move if they're being observed."  
"Then how are you going to get free?" the girls asked together, terrorfied.  
"I’ll figure that out, just keep your eyes on it!"  
"Uh... Doctor? There's more of them..." Meaghan noticed.  
The angels surrounded the TARDIS and the TARDIS started to rock.  
"We can't keep our eyes open if we're falling!" the girls shouted at the doctor as they fell to the floor.  
The lights went out, everything went black, and there was silence. When it couldn't get any worse, the girls lost consciousness.  
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  
When they woke up they found themselves in a deep pit with walls covered in dirt and small stones. There were two closed portcullises on opposite sides of the hole with an angel statue behind both. Both angels were covering their eyes with their hands.  
“How are we going to get out of this one?” Meaghan asked Darby.  
“Where’s the Doctor!?”  
“Shush! Do you hear that?!” Meaghan whispered.  
A rock went flying into the wall, just missing Meaghan’s head.  
“Where'd that come from?!” Darby asked no one in particular.  
Then they heard a hiss followed by “Apes, over here!”  
The girls turned as one to see a green scaly male head sticking up out of the ground.  
He held his hand out and said “I was sent by the Doctor to get you.”  
Somehow the girls just knew he was telling the truth, whoever - whatever he was.  
“Where is he?” asked Darby.  
“‘Where are WE’, is a better question.” said Meaghan.  
“No time for that now, the Angels are not really trapped. Come on!!” The green scaly man shouted.  
As they ran over to him, he made the hole wide enough for all three of them to stand on the disc. As they slid down the hole, the top started to close itself. Once all three made it to the bottom, they were surrounded by a lot of green scaly people holding gun-like things at them. They all seemed to be warriors, and almost all of them were female. Two of them were holding the Doctors arms, and one (who looked like he was the leader) was standing in front - and slightly to the left - of him.  
“Girls! There you are!” he shouted from across the room. “We were just talking about you! One of you has to stay here while I go and get a friend of mine with the other.”  
“Why can’t we both go?” they asked in unison as they walked over to him.  
“Because they don’t trust me, they need to know I’ll come back, and not even the angels could separate you two.” he explained.  
“Why do you need to go in the first place?” Meaghan asked him.  
“Weren't you listening? They don’t trust me. I need to go get a friend of mine that can prove to them I mean them no harm.”  
“What are they?” Darby asked while looking around.  
“They’re called Silurians, Homo Reptilia.” When he saw the blank looks the girls were giving him he further explained. “They’re lizard people from the dawn of time.”  
“And what can your friend do to help us?” the girls asked.  
“She is also a Silurian. Will you two let me go now?”  
The two Silurians holding the Doctor let him go while keeping a close eye on him.  
“You can even pick who stays here,” the Doctor told the leader Silurian.  
He turned to the girls and looked them up and down. Pointing to Meaghan he said “This one looks like a fighter,” pointing to Darby, “and this one does not. We will keep this one for now. Be quick Doctor. She will be dead in one day.” With the last word, he grabbed Darby’s arm and half led half dragged her to a metal cage off to the side of the room.  
Before Meaghan or Darby had any time to react, the Doctor pulled a key out of his pocket and the TARDIS started to materialise around him and Meaghan. Once inside, he started to flip levers and push buttons.  
Once they had landed, the Doctor checked the screen, turned to Meaghan and said “Stay here. Don’t do anything. I’ll be right back. We materialised inside her bedroom by accident so… Just stay here… Just in case…” With that he turned around and slowly cracked open the door and whispered “Vastra? It’s the Doctor. I need help.” And he just stood still for a moment.  
Meaghan could hear a faint voice on the other side but couldn't tell what was being said or who was talking. Then the Doctor glanced at her, mouthed ‘stay here’ and left the TARDIS.  
Meaghan felt lightheaded and realised that the pounding drums had not gone away yet and her eyes were sore. As she rubbed her sore eyes she heard a male voice say “Keep your eyes open little one.” Instantly alert, she looked around for the owner of the voice, but there was no one else in the TARDIS. Curious, she took a few steps towards the door to see if the speaker was outside. Right as she put her hand on the handle, the door opened and she was looking in the dark brown eyes of a young human lady.  
“Who are you?” the lady asked in a cockney accent as she drew her katana.  
Meaghan was speechless as she stared wide-eyed at the beautiful sword the lady had pointed at Meaghan’s head.  
“Jenny, that’s my companion, Meaghan.” the Doctor said from somewhere outside the TARDIS.  
Meaghan moved to the other side of the console as Jenny, the Doctor, and a female Silurian walked into the TARDIS.  
Jenny walked over to the Silurian and sheathed her katana.  
The Doctor introduced the human and Silurian to Meaghan. “Meaghan, this is Jenny. Jenny - Meaghan. Vastra - Meaghan, Meaghan - Vastra. Now that you know each other, let’s go.”  
“Why is Jenny coming if you only needed Vastra to tell the Silurians you’re harmless?” Meaghan asked the Doctor.  
“Uh…she...they’re...umm…. Jenny?” He stuttered as he looked at Jenny to save him from this question, but she just smiled evilly at him.  
As Vastra put an arm around Jenny she said “We, are married.”  
Meaghan collapsed as she heard the male voice again (“Very good work little one, I’ll take over now. Sleep well.”) and blacked out.  
Meaghan got up slowly and said “I’m fine,” in a monotone voice.  
“Really? You just fell over. Are you sure?” Jenny asked her.  
“Yes, the TARDIS doesn't like me much and tripped me. That’s it.” Meaghan said in the same monotone.  
Jenny still didn’t look convinced but let it go.  
There was a knock on the door once they landed. The Doctor ran to the door and opened it fast enough to make the person knocking almost hit the Doctor’s nose.  
“Sorry. Do you have your representative?”The Silurian asked.  
“Yes, here she is,” the Doctor answered as he moved out of the way so Vastra could walk outside.  
Once all four of them were outside, Vastra started to communicate telepathically with the Silurians. One of the Silurians approached Jenny cautiously, while sniffing the air. Vastra saw him approaching, hissed, and jumped between Jenny and the advancing Silurian.  
“Stay away from her.” Vastra warned him.  
“Or what?” he hissed.  
“Or we'll all leave and not help you with the angels.” Jenny told him.  
“Oh, should I have told you that she was listening in?” Vastra asked when she saw the surprised looks the Silurians were giving Jenny.  
“Where’s Meaghan?” the Doctor asked no one in particular.  
“Over here,” she said in her monotone voice.  
She was standing on top of the cage that was holding Darby, pulling her up through the top of the cage that was just wide enough for her to get through. After Darby was free, Meaghan regained consciousness and heard the male voice from earlier say “Keep her safe or you will pay.”  
“Stop!” shouted the leader of the Silurians.  
“Why should she? You did imprison her friend,” the Doctor told him.  
The girls walked over and stood by the Doctor, as Darby telepathically told Meaghan what happened.  
“Aren’t the Silurians supposed to be hibernating?” Jenny asked.  
“This is in your future, Jenny, when Silurians are actually accepted by humans, and vice versa,” the Doctor answered. ”This isn’t actually Earth though, it’s Azza. The Silurians expanded here after the Sun exploded. Apparently the Weeping Angels came here too…or were already here.… Now we have to find out how to either run the Weeping Angels off the planet, or relocate the Silurians.”  
“How could we possibly ‘run the Angels off the planet’?” Vastra asked.  
“Okay, so we don’t really have a choice. It was a lie.”  
“What planets are nearby that are hospitable?” Asked the Silurian Leader.  
“I’ll be right back,” the Doctor said as he ran off into his TARDIS.  
He came back a minute later with a piece of paper with writing on it.  
“Here,” he said as he handed it to the Leader. “A list of the planets, that would be acceptable for Silurians to inhabit.”  
As the Silurian Leader read over the list, Meaghan and Darby were looking at a Silurian’s weapon, Vastra was making sure no one came near Jenny, and the Doctor was just standing there waiting for the Leader to make up his mind. When the Silurian noticed the attention her weapon was getting, she asked “You like it?” as she held out her gun.  
“It’s different than any weapon I've ever seen before!” Meaghan said as she walked over to the friendly Silurian, dragging Darby behind her.  
When they reached the Warrior, Darby spoke first. “I’m Darby and this is Meaghan. Who are you?”  
“Renalia.”  
“Um...do you mind if we just call you Ren?” Meaghan asked  
Renalia laughed and said “Not at all.”  
“Your weapon looks cool,” Darby said.  
“Thanks. Do you want to go over to that corner and I’ll show you how to use it.” Ren offered.  
“Okay!” The girls said together.  
As Ren led the girls to the corner, Vastra followed them - bringing Jenny along behind her. When Vastra and Jenny reached the girls in the corner, Vastra asked, “What are you doing?”  
“I’m showing them how this works.” Ren said as she held up her gun.  
“Not on them.” Vastra said.  
“Of course not!” Ren almost shouted.  
“Just making sure. You did lead them to a corner, with a gun while saying that you would show them how it worked.” Turning to face the girls, Vastra said, “If you were smart you would have made sure she wasn’t going to use it on you.” The last sentence earned Vastra a jab in the ribs from Jenny's elbow.  
“Now you be nice,” Jenny warned Vastra.  
Under Vastra’s supervision, Ren taught Meaghan and Darby how to use the gun. After a few hours, the Silurian Leader picked a planet that would be perfect for his plans. The Silurian Leader walked over to the corner where Ren, the girls, Vastra, and Jenny were practicing.  
“Captain Renalia,” he boomed “you will lead a scouting party on the planet Sida. Make sure there are no immediate threats.”  
“Yes Sir!” Ren saluted and the Leader walked away. Turning to the others in the corner, Ren asked, “Would you guys like to come too? It gets very boring here.”  
“Can we go, Vastra? Please?” the girls pleaded.  
“Do you two have any weapons?” Vastra asked.  
“I have my pocket knife, and we have a secret weapon.” Meaghan replied.  
“Alright! Let,s go!” Renalia said happily.  
The Doctor, Renalia, Darby, Vastra, Jenny, Meaghan, and a group of 10 Silurian warriors went inside the TARDIS.  
“It’s bigger on the inside!” Ren looked around in wide-eyed wonder.  
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
“Okay, we’ve landed.” the Doctor announced.  
“But it didn't make the noise!” Meaghan and Darby said in unison.  
“It’s in stealth mode! Anyway, you guys go on. I’ll stay here in case you need to make a hasty retreat.”  
“Okay. Move out, talk only if necessary.” Ren ordered.  
“Don’t worry. Everyone here can talk telepathically.” the Doctor told Ren.  
“Impressive.” Ren said while looking at the three humans by the door, as the three humans looked at the Doctor in surprize.  
They walked outside into in a very green, very hot jungle. There were tall trees and oversized plants and flowers everywhere, and a lot of bugs.  
“Stay alert.” Ren told everyone telepathically.  
They got into a “V” formation. Ren was in front. Meaghan was behind and to Ren’s left. Behind and to Meaghan’s left was Vastra (with Jenny behind and to Vastra’s left). Darby was behind and to Ren’s right. Behind and to the right of Darby was the Silurian who saved the girls from the angels (his name was Tek). Behind and to Tek’s right was a female they didn’t know. The other Silurians had disappeared into the brush on either sides of the path that the TARDIS landed on. They walked for about half an hour, when they heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed.  
“Who are you and where have you come from?” an unknown female Silurian voice asked the group telepathically.  
“We come from the planet Azza, seeking refuge.” Ren told the voice.  
A female Silurian in warrior armor jumped down from the tree she was in and onto the path in front of Renalia.  
“You and your pets are not welcome here,” She hissed at Ren indicating the humans as pets.  
“You won’t share this planet with us?” Ren asked in a voice of authority.  
“No,” the Silurian on the path said in the same tone of voice. ”You have twenty minutes to leave this planet, before we kill you, and take your pets for slaves,” she added with a hiss, and then she was back in her tree in one leap.  
“It will take us half an hour to get back to the TARDIS!” Darby said panicked.  
“Then you better start running.” The Silurian in the tree laughed.  
“Humans can’t run as fast as Silurians can,” Meaghan noted.  
“We’ll have to carry you. Tek, get Meaghan,” Ren said as she picked up Darby and ordered her squad telepathically.  
“What about Jenny?” Darby asked.  
“I can keep up, don’t worry.” Jenny said with a grin.  
Everyone (but the two being carried) started to run at full speed back to the TARDIS.  
After the TARDIS came into view the Silurian in the tree shouted,“It’s gotten boring!” as she jumped down and drew her sword.  
Everyone stopped running to draw their weapons. There were fifteen Silurians surrounding them. Ren’s squad of ten formed a circle around the humans, Ren, and Vastra. A female lunged at Tek, who dodged easily, but made an opening in the circle, allowing the Silurian inside.Two more Silurians got in this way, but they were all met by Jenny and Vastra (who had their katanas drawn), Renalia (who held her gun with familiarity) and Meaghan (who just had her pocket knife). Darby couldn’t take her eyes off Jenny and Vastra, or blink, no matter how hard she tried. She couldn’t even move her body. Jenny cut the head off the first Silurian that came through the circle, Vastra eviscerated the second, and Renalia shot the third in the face. Three Silurians from Ren’s squad were down, five of the enemy Silurians were dead or dying, and Meaghan had a cut from the top of her left shoulder to her elbow.  
The Leader of the attacking Silurians was apparently the Silurian from the tree, so Ren shot at her. The first shot missed her head by centimeters, the second hit one of the attackers in the shoulder, and the third hit the leader’s right arm.  
The Leader hissed at Ren and yelled, “You’ll pay for that!” and charged the circle of fighting Silurians.  
Renalia tossed her gun to Meaghan, drew her sword, and charged the Leader. Meaghan abandoned her pocket knife and used the gun to shoot a Silurian who was charging Darby. One of the Leader’s warriors snuck up behind Renalia, and was about to stab her. Ren was lucky that Jenny had just dispatched another of the attacking Silurians and saw what was happening. Jenny ran over to the Silurian and stabbed the surprize attacker from behind before she could stab Ren. As Ren saw Jenny kill something behind her, the Leader saw that Ren was distracted and took advantage of it.The Leader Swung her sword up under Ren’s and stabbed at her abdomen. Renalia dodged easily enough but failed to watch where she was stepping. She stepped on the arm of a dead Silurian, twisted her ankle, and fell down beside her dead kin.  
“Hah! You should never have come here. You are a disgrace to ally yourself with these apes.” The Leader hissed. She was so focused on Renalia, that she failed to see Vastra walk up behind her and shove her sword through the leaders back, right through her heart.  
With the Leader dead, the remaining enemy Silurians ran off into the jungle.  
“Let’s get back to the TARDIS!” Meaghan and Darby yelled.  
“Could someone help me up please?” Ren asked.  
Tek picked Renalia up as Darby looked at Meaghan’s arm. The Silurians that could, picked up those who couldn’t walk, or the dead, and everyone walked back to the TARDIS as fast as they could safely travel.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
When they entered the TARDIS, the Doctor looked at them puzzled.  
“Well? What was it like?” the Doctor asked curiously.  
“Deadly.” Meaghan and Darby said in unison.  
“There is already a group of Silurians here, they don’t like outsiders.” Renalia said.  
“Or humans.” Jenny added.  
“Uh... my arm hurts. I can’t...feel…can’t...where…hand...” Meaghan tried to say and fell.  
She heard three different voices shout “Meaghan!” before she blacked out.  
Darby managed to catch Meaghan just before her head hit the ground, Vastra and Jenny came over to help.  
“Okay guys. There’s going to be a small detour.” The doctor said and started to press buttons. “Vastra, where did you say Strax was?”  
“Glasgow.” Vastra replied.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
Once the TARDIS landed, the Doctor and Vastra went outside as they told the others to stay there.  
Darby found a room with two rows of cots and helped Jenny and Tek move all the wounded and dead onto them. There were three badly wounded Silurians and two dead.  
Darby was sitting beside Meaghan’s cot when the Doctor, Vastra, and a short guy with a very wide head and three fingers walked into the room.  
“Darby, this is Strax. He’s a Sontaran nurse. He’s here to help,” the Doctor said.  
Strax walked over to Meaghan with an instrument that has a hole on one side and a scanner on the other. Then, he started to scan Meaghan’s arm.  
"She's lost a lot of blood. Boy, get some bandages!" Strax ordered.  
"Fine," Jenny said and then disappeared down the hall.  
When Jenny got back with various medical supplies, Strax went to work helping all the wounded. When Strax was finished helping all the wounded, he returned to the Doctor and Darby who were still standing by Meaghan’s cot.  
“Sir, this boy,” He indicated Meaghan lying on her cot, “has a bad infection in his arm. I suggest I keep an eye on him while he recovers. If you and Madame don’t mind, that is,” Strax said as he looked from the Doctor to Vastra.  
“She isnt a boy Strax!” Darby exclaimed.  
“He’s easily confused,” the Doctor whispered to Darby. To the Sontaran he asked, “Where will you stay?”  
“Meaghan will stay with us Doctor. Strax can’t stay here, he might break the TARDIS,” Jenny said.  
“I’m Staying with her!” Darby almost yelled.  
“She’s my responsibility!” the Doctor cried.  
“You have to continue to help the Silurians, Doctor. We will take care of the girls,” Vastra told him.  
“Don’t you trust us Doctor?” Jenny asked.  
“Fine. I’ll drop you guys off first,” the Doctor said sadly, as he left the room.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
When the TARDIS finally landed, Meaghan woke up.  
"What happened?" she asked.  
"You passed out due to blood loss." Strax informed her.  
"Who are you? Where’s Darby?" she asked as she tried to get up and immediately regretted it as her arm flared with pain.  
"Madame and the boy took your friend to the kitchen," Strax said hurriedly. "Stay in bed! You're still recovering!"  
"Who's Madame and the boy?" Meaghan asked wearily.  
Strax sighed impatiently and said "Madame Vastra, and Jenny." He then gave Meaghan some pain medicine as Vastra, Jenny, and Darby walked into the room.  
Darby put a pile of folded clothes on the end of Meaghan’s cot, and helped her up. Strax rebandaged her arm, and gave her a sling. The Doctor and Tek walked into the room talking in low voices. The Doctor walked over to the group surrounding Meaghan’s cot, while Tek walked over to Ren's.  
"Okay. Strax says your arm is hurt pretty badly and he wants to keep an eye on it, but he can't stay with me because he'll just be in the way while I'm helping the Silurians. So you and Darby are going to stay with Vastra and Jenny. They'll take good care of you both. I'll see you soon, I promise," he said in a soft voice.  
Vastra led the way out of the TARDIS. Once outside she asked "Doctor, a word?" as she vanished down the hall with the Doctor close behind.  
Jenny turned to face Meaghan and asked "Are you hungry?".  
"Starving," Meaghan replied.  
Jenny led Darby and Meaghan to the kitchen. Meaghan and Darby stood by the door while Jenny made some tea and cut up some bread and cheese and put it all on a serving tray. Darby carried the tray while Jenny led the way to the dining room, where the Doctor and Vastra were talking quietly. Darby put the tray on the table and sat at the end, far away from everyone. Meaghan sat beside her after grabbing some cheese. The Doctor was talking with Vastra and Jenny but Meaghan and Darby weren't paying attention. The drums were getting louder, and their eyes were starting to water.  
"You guys look tired. Do you want me to show you to your room?" Jenny had to walk over to them for them to hear her.  
"Yes please," Meaghan answered in a weak voice.  
Jenny led them upstairs and down a hall or two -the girls weren't really paying attention- and into a room with a desk against the wall by the door, and a bunk bed with dark blue and green patterned quilts.  
The Doctor walked up behind them and said "Goodnight girls, see you soon."  
"Goodnight Doctor." The girls said together.  
Then the doctor turned and left.  
"Goodnight girls, I'll come get you in the morning so you don't get lost," Jenny said and disappeared down the hall.  
A few minutes later they heard the TARDIS leave, and then something happened, something they thought would never happen again. The drumming stopped, and there was silence.  
"Finally." Meaghan whispered.  
"I never thought I'd be this happy for silence." Darby told her.


	4. A Murder In Motion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Meaghan and Darby stay with Vastra and Jenny for some relaxation, they soon realize that relaxing will be the last thing that this trip is.

Meaghan and Darby both woke up at dawn, but for different reasons. Meaghan’s arm was burning with pain, and the Drums had come back for Darby.  
“Wake up my dear." A male voice said only to Darby.   
"Who's there?" She whispered.   
"I'm not in the room with you so just be quiet and listen, you are the only one that can hear me right now." He said. "Stay with your...friend...she is there to protect you. Convince her to get a better weapon, a pocket knife can only do so much.... I will see you very soon, stay safe, goodbye my dear." And then the drums stopped.  
"Meaghan?" Darby whispered.  
"I'm awake. "She replied  
"Yesterday, did you say that you heard a voice?"  
"Yes, it was after the Doctor left to get Vastra, Why?"  
"No reason." After a pause she added, "I think you need a better weapon."  
Meaghan laughed and said " What made you think that? The fact that a pocket knife is useless in a fight against trained warriors?"  
"Well-"  
"I know I need better weapon, " she interrupted, "but to get a better weapon I first need to know how to use it. When you find someone willing to teach me let me know, but it's going to be hard to find someone here, because this is Victorian London, and females aren't really allowed to learn how to use weapons-"   
"Vastra and Jenny fight." Darby interrupted.  
"My arm needs to heal."  
They heard a knock at the door.  
"You're ambidextrous." Darby said before jumping down from the top bunk and opening the door. "Hello Strax."  
"I'm here to examine the boy's arm." The Sontaran nurse said as he handed a bag full of medical objects to Darby, and walked over to Meaghan.   
Darby put the bag on the end of the bottom bunk, and helped Meaghan sit up. Strax unbandaged Meaghan’s arm, cleaned the slash that ran from her elbow to just below her shoulder, put some medicine on it, and rebandaged it.  
"I must ask you to stay here, the boy will come get you shortly." Strax grabbed the medical bag and left the room, shutting the door behind him.  
"'The boy'?" Darby asked.   
"Jenny." Meaghan told her friend.   
"But she's-"  
"Just go with it. Anyway, what happened to Ren? She only had a sprained ankle, so why was she laying on a cot in the TARDIS?"  
"Apparently, she had been shot, but the weird thing is that it wasn't a Silurian weapon that shot her. Strax has no idea what got her. Tek was really worried," she laughed a little, "it's funny, he kept saying that it was just because she is a really important person in that clan of Silurians. But I think he likes her a bit more than that."  
"Just a bit?" Meaghan asked with a huge grin, and pulled a deck of cards out of her vest pocket.  
"How did they fit in there?" Darby looked at the tiny pocket on the vest and then the deck of cards.  
"The Doctor modified it for me, so now the pockets are bigger on the inside. Do you want to play a game?"  
"You're arm-"  
"I’m playing cards, not fighting!" Meaghan interrupted.   
Meaghan started to shuffle the cards, when there was a knock at the door. She quickly put the cards back in her pocket, and was putting her vest on while Darby opened the door to see Jenny standing in the hall.  
"Good morning. Vastra would like to talk to both of you." Jenny told her, "is Meaghan awake?"  
Meaghan walked over to the door and yawned, "I'm really glad to be out of the orphanage. That bed was the most comfortable I’ve ever slept on!"  
As Jenny led them down the hall she asked, "You're an orphan?"  
"We both are." They said in unison, "it’s weird, the orphanage we were at was huge but only had few kids in it."  
Meaghan added "In the archives that no one is allowed in, there are old newspaper clippings, that orphanage had burned down in 1962 and it was never rebuilt."  
"But then...." Darby trailed off as they reached Vastra’s conservatory.  
Jenny knocked on the door and then led them inside. It was a white room with plants everywhere, and in the center of the room was two tall-backed wicker chairs and a small table with a book on it between them, Vastra was sitting in the chair facing the door.  
"Hello girls, there are a few things I would like to talk to you about." Vastra said as Jenny walked over and stood beside her chair. The girls stood behind the other chair. "You will need some clothes that won't make you stand out, and there are some rules you should know. Rule one: Never go into the cellar, the larder, or my bedroom. Rule two: Knock before entering any room with a closed door. Rule three: Jenny and I may be married but we maintain a pretense, in public, that she is my maid, you must remember this and, when talking to outsiders, do not say anything to suggest otherwise. Rule four: Under no circumstance are you to touch the swords, ever. And remember, this is Victorian London, not your own time, so be careful of what you say, and do.”  
“Yes Ma’am.” The girls said together.  
“I’ll go make some breakfast, do you two want to stay here or…?” Jenny asked the girls, as Vastra picked her book up again.  
“Is there a library?” they asked in unison.  
“Follow me.” Jenny said as she left the room.  
Jenny led them to a large room with bookshelves lining three of the walls. On the fourth wall was a lit fireplace, with a couch in front of it. There was a high-backed chair with a small table beside it in the corner of the room.   
“Stay here, I’ll come and get you when breakfast is ready.” Jenny said and left.  
The girls each found a book that they thought was cool and started to read.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
Jenny had just walked into the kitchen when she heard a knock on the front door. Sighing she walked to the front door and noticed the mail stacked neatly on the table by the door. She put her maid apron on, stuffed the mail into a pocket and opened the door. Standing in front of Jenny was a man she had never wanted to see again. Upon seeing (and recognising) the person who answered the door, the man was shocked, to say the least, quickly recovering he looked past Jenny and said in a slightly quivering voice “I’m here to see Madame Vastra, The Great Detective.”  
Clearing her throat Jenny asked in a cold voice “And who should I say is here?”  
The man’s face showed anger for a split second before he recovered and said “Harold, Harold Flint.”  
Jenny let him inside and closed the door.  
“Please, wait here Mr. Flint.” Jenny said and then walked down the hall, once she was out of sight of the front door, she half walked, half ran to Vastra’s chamber.   
“Jenny?! Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Vastra asked as Jenny burst through the door.  
Jenny, catching her breath, picked up a thick black veil and put it on her wife, “Where are your gloves?” she asked.  
“Someones here?”  
“Yes, Harold Flint.”  
Vastra pulled on her gloves as Jenny turned to leave. “My dear? Are you sure I should help him?”Jenny stopped in her tracks, sighed and said “I may hate him...but I have never seen him so scared of anything… at least hear what he has to say.” She thought for a moment. “Something must have happened to my sister, he would always send her or me on errands, he never did them himself….” She was about to leave when she remembered something, “Oh, heres the mail.” she said as she handed the stack of mail to Vastra.  
Jenny was walking back to the front door, when Meaghan and Darby poked their heads out of the library.  
“Whats going on? You look sad, what's wrong?” they asked together.  
“Nothing stay there, don’t come out. A stranger’s here.” Was the only reply they would get, as Jenny walked past them.  
The girls looked at each other and grinned. Then they slowly and carefully sneaked into Vastra’s chamber and hid behind some plants. They hid just in time to see Jenny lead Mr. Flint into the room.  
“Please, Have a seat Mr. Flint.” Vastra said as she motioned to the empty chair, and Jenny stood behind her.  
Mr. Flint took the offered seat and forgot about Jenny.  
“What is the reason of your visit Mr. Flint?” Vastra asked.  
“Its my daughter, Hazel, shes gone missing!” He said in a scared voice, “She’s my only daughter, you've got to help me Madame!! You’ve just got to! My wife hasn't left the house since she disappeared.... If anything were to happen to Hazel….” he trailed off, dreading to even think of such a thing.  
“Where was the last place your daughter was seen sir?” Jenny asked the obviously terrified man, but he just ignored her, refusing to even look at her, or acknowledge her presence.  
“Where was she last, Mr. Flint?” Vastra tried.  
“She was going to the market, three days ago... but she never came back-” he began sobbing uncontrollably.  
“ We will find her, Mr. Flint, don’t worry.” Vastra said trying to calm the man down.  
“Whos ‘we”?” he asked, still crying.  
“My assistant Jenny and I.” She replied, motioning to Jenny, forcing him to look at her.  
When he did look at Jenny it was like he didn’t see her at all.  
“Mr. Flint, does your daughter have any enemies?” he shook his head ”friends?” another ‘no’ “lovers perhaps?” he thought long and hard about that one.  
“There was talk…” his voice was barely a whisper, “ that she…” he shuddered “was…” he gulped “with a….a woman…. But make no mistake Madame,” he choked ”she’s good as gold, she’d never do that. I know my Hazle.” he broke into sobbs again. “Shes my only daughter” he repeated over and over again, through tears.  
Jenny clenched her fists, she was doing good not to show any emotion, but Vastra could feel the anger radiating off of her. The drums had come back, but Darby and Meaghan didn’t notice, they were too focused on the scene in front of them. The girls could tell that Vastra was getting impatient.  
“Mr.Flint, if any one can find your daughter, Madame Vastra can.” Jenny said, as calm as she could manage, but her words fell on deaf ears.  
“Mr.Flint, we will begin working on this case immediately, you may go home and if I have any more questions, or have news, then I will contact you.” Vastra told the sobbing man. “Strax.” She said. “Show Mr.Flint out please?”  
The girls then noticed that the sontaran was standing behind the door they had snuck through this whole time.  
“Of course, Madame.” he said before doing as she asked.  
When both the Sontaran and the Sobbing man left the room, Vastra removed her gloves and veil. The girls then noticed the drums had returned, and they stepped out of their hiding place. Vastra stood up, walked up to Jenny, and wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her close.  
“Are you alright my dear?” She asked, “I know that was hard for you.”  
It was then that Jenny stopped holding back the anger, but when she tried to speak she found that she couldn’t find any words. As the girls stepped closer, Jenny rested her head on Vastra’s shoulder and started to cry, silently.  
“I thought I was over it….” Jenny began, her voice barely a whisper, “but he didn’t see me at all, and he never really liked Hazle, he always said she was good for nothing, and now suddenly she's his favorite person in the world.” Jenny buried her face into Vastra’s neck  
Meaghan and Darby were right behind Jenny now. Meaghan stepped forward and put her hand on Jenny’s shoulder.  
“I know what its like… to be unloved by your parents… as you know, Darby and I are orphans. They found us on the sidewalk by a gas station, you probably don’t know what a gas station is…. But anyway, I was 12, and she was 10, and we had no memory of who we were.... We were in the orphanage for 4 years, and no one wanted to adopt us, I think they didn’t want me because some people think red hair is evil or something.  
“Darby and I would get bored, so she would find a mystery for us to solve, we love mysteries, anyway, so one day we were in a forest because people were disappearing if they entered that forest at night, and we were being chased by Cybermen, when we ran into the Doctor. We were teleported onto the Cybermen’s spaceship and then some things happened, Darby was shot and almost killed. The Doctor took her to a hospital on new earth and left me at the orphanage.” Meaghan stopped to catch her breath, and Jenny turned her head so she could look at Meaghan.  
Darby asked “Is this story going anywhere?   
“Yes! When Darby got back, she still wasn't completely better but she was well enough to leave the hospital, so the Doctor left and said he would be back once she was fully healed. He was gone for five months. When he did come back he took us to the pink planet, and we saved the local population from a Vishklar pretending to be a Drude, a Drude is a German monster normally associated with nightmares, anyway-”  
“You say ‘anyway’ a lot…” Darby interrupted.  
“Shush, this story will be even longer if you keep interrupting me! Anyway,” Meaghan said while glaring at Darby. “After we saved them, the doctor dropped us off at the orphanage because the next day was adoption day, so the next day the carer came to us and said someone wanted to adopt us. We were very surprised that someone wanted to adopt us, and they hadn’t even met us. But when we got to the carers office we saw the Doctor standing there. To make a long story short-”  
“To late!” Darby said.  
With another glare at Darby, Meaghan started her story again. “The Doctor adopting us was his way of getting us out of the orphanage, so we would travel with him...okay...that story got away from me…. The point I was trying to make was, sometimes you may think that the world hates you, but if you keep looking then you will find a person who accepts you for who you are, and maybe even loves you more than anything in the world.” As Meaghan looked from Jenny to Vastra, she added, “and Jenny, I think you found her.”  
Darby put her hand on Meaghan’s shoulder and whispered in her ear “That was way too long of a story, for you to just mess up...you may be as smart as I am, but sometimes I wonder….” Darby then turned to Vastra and Jenny and said, “We’ll leave you two alone now, come on Meaghan.”  
Darby grabbed the back of Meaghan’s collar and dragged her back to the library.  
Darby found the book she was reading, sat down on the couch, and started to read again. Meaghan picked up her book and put it back on the shelf. Making sure Darby was distracted by her book, Meaghan silently walked out of the room and down the hall.  
Darby was trying to read but the words kept blurring together, making her eyes hurt. The drums were getting louder, and the lights were getting brighter.  
"Remember me, my dear, remember me." The male voice whispered in her ears, "YOU LET YOUR GUARD ESCAPE?! Let us find her...I think I shall take control now. Sleep well my dear." Darby lost control of her body and stood up, the book tumbled to the floor as her vision went black. Her body walked out the door and sensed where Meghan went.  
Upstairs, first left, third right, turn left at the end of the hall, second door to the left.  
Meaghan had just finished fixing her pocket knife and stuffed it into her pocket, when Darby opened the door.  
“Don’t leave me alone." She said in a monotone voice, and then Darby regained consciousness.  
“Fine, fine! I’m sorry. Let’s go back to the library.” Meaghan said after shoving the tools she was using into her pocket.  
“What was that?”  
“Nothing.”  
Darby just glared at Meaghan, until Meaghan walked past her and down the hall. They had both stepped through the door of the library when Jenny walked up behind them, told them breakfast was ready, and left.  
When they sat down in the dining room, Jenny placed crumpets and tea in front of them. She sat down opposite to them, next to Vastra. The girls, extremely hungry, began scarfing down their breakfast.  
“Girls, eat slower.” Jenny advised.  
Vastra was reading the mail, that Jenny had given her earlier.  
“You're not gonna eat, Vastra?” Meaghan asked as she nibbled her food.  
Darby elbowed her and whispered, “She’s a lizard!”  
Vastra was paying more attention to the letter in her hand, than the girls on the opposite side of the table.  
“Jenny,” Vastra handed the letter to her wife, “read this!”  
Jenny took the letter and started to read it, while Vastra sipped her tea and watched her reaction. The girls just sat in confused silence.  
The letter read:  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Dear Madame Vastra,  
By the time this letter has reached you, Hazel will have been taken. Her father will, no doubt, ask you to find her, if he hasn't already. I suggest showing this letter to your maid, Jenny, after you finish reading. If you haven’t guessed already, I have taken Hazel, and if you want to know why, then I suggest you take The Flying Scotsman in six days, but you can’t bring anyone with you, not even your maid. You will know how to find me, after it leaves.  
Dearest Jenny,  
If you ever want to see your sister again, you will NOT follow her.  
~S.A.~  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Once Jenny had finished reading, she folded the letter up and put it on the table. The Drums went away. Vastra and Jenny looked at eachother, and then looked at the girls, who were now setting there cups on the table, getting up, and backing away slowly.  
“I will write a letter for the tailor,” Vastra announced, getting up.  
“I’ll polish the swords.” Jenny said.  
Vastra disappeared out the door as Jenny started to clean up. The girls, still very confused, decided to leave before they got handed a chore to do.  
“Where do you think you're going?” Strax said as the girls ran into him.”I have been tasked to keep watch over you while Madame is busy.”  
“Great….” Darby and Meaghan mumbled in unison.  
Strax leaned closer to them and whispered, “Do you want to play with some grenades?”  
“Really?” They asked in amazement.  
“Come on!”   
Strax led them to the cellar, and was walking through the door when he realized the girls were just standing still.  
“What's wrong?” He asked.  
“Vastra told us we weren't allowed in the cellar….” They informed the walking potato.  
They both jumped when Jenny spoke from behind them, “She only told you to stay out so you wouldn’t get hurt on Strax’s weapons, but seeing as how no one is safe while he’s still alive, you can go ahead, but don’t die, or the Doctor will have our heads.”  
“Don’t worry boy, they're with me!” Strax said.   
“Yeah, thats why im worried.” Jenny said, before walking past them and up the stairs.  
If Strax was offended, they couldn’t tell. He led them into the cellar. The cellar wasn’t dark, but there wasn’t a whole lot of light. There were weapons covering the walls, and most of the floor, on the far side of the room there was another door.  
“Alright girls, what weapon do you want to use first?” Strax asked as the girls looked around in amazement.  
“That one?” Meaghan pointed to a gun that looked like a cannon, it was half as long as her arm, and it had an opening in both sides.  
“Ah, good choice, here let me show you how it works,” Strax said as he picked it up and shoved Meaghan’s right arm into one opening. “There should be a handle with a trigger on it, don’t shoot it yet.”  
It was as heavy as a computer, and it came to below her elbow, there was a handle inside but she couldn't find the trigger. Darby was looking around the room when Strax glanced at Meaghan and said, “Oops, its upside down….”  
“I can’t use my left hand….” Meaghan said as Darby came over to help her. “Thanks.”  
“That one looks cool,” Darby said as she pointed to a small gun that was slightly smaller than her hand.  
“Ah, that is the most inferior weapon in my collection. A stun gun. It does nothing violent. It doesn’t even melt things with acid! Just stuns! Useless!” Strax remarked, frustrated with the fact that he even owned a stun gun.  
“Well, I’ve never been quite violent. It just stuns? Fine by me. Could I keep this for…self defense purposes?” Darby asked cautiously.  
“Take that putrid thing out of my sight, child!” Strax spat.  
Darby went to place the stun gun gently in her jacket’s pocket when she noticed that she wasn’t hitting the bottom. She opened the pocket wider to see what was happening when she saw that it went down about a foot! She remembered what Meaghan had said about her pockets being modified by The Doctor to be bigger on the inside and shrugged, assuming he had done the same to hers without her knowledge. She lightly tossed it to the bottom.  
“Are you ready to use your weapons of choice?” Strax asked them.  
The girls nodded, and Strax led them to the door on the other side of the room, which led to an elevator of some kind. It was a large circular platform that was dark brown, and had weird markings on it. They all stepped on it and Strax hit a button on the wall, which made the elevator descend into the ground. Once the elevator stopped, they walked into a large training room. On the right side, several dummies, that looked like they had been pushed through a blender, had been set up. On the left, the a large chunk of the corner (walls and floor) had been padded. Directly in front of them, on the other side of the room, was a shooting range.  
Strax led them over to the range. He then set out some ammunition for the gun Meaghan chose on a small table.  
Pointing to the target 20 feet from the small table and Meaghan, he said, “the one with the fiery hat shoots at that one,” not knowing what to call them, ”now then….Stunny?”  
“My name is Darby, and her name is Meaghan….”  
“Now then, Darby, come over here, and you can use your...stun gun….” He said ‘stun gun’ with hate.  
“How do I fire this?” Meaghan asked.  
“Point and shoot.” Was the impatient reply.  
“Point and shoot….really?” Meaghan mumbled as she raised her hand/cannon, and pointed at the target. She pulled the trigger, the cannon vibrated, and at one end, three beams of light shot to gether and a ball of light was growing, it wouldn’t stop growing so Meaghan released the trigger, and the ball of light shot at the target, blasting it to smithereens. ”Wow.” She breathed.  
“What’s really fun is when you have two of them, and your fighting thugs from the 1800s.... They never know what’s happening until its too late.” Jenny said from behind Meaghan.  
“I didn’t even hear you! How did you do that! Quit scaring me!” Meaghan looked at Jenny with wide eyes.  
“Sorry. I can’t help it, im just so use to moving silently when on a case, that I do it all the time now.”  
“You don’t scare Vastra?”  
Jenny laughed a little, “i’m convinced nothing can scare her.”  
Meaghan smiled at her, “I never noticed that I’m taller than you …. Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. At the orphanage everyone was taller than me, and i’m five foot five. I was convinced that the only person I was taller than was Darby.”  
“That’s alright, A lot of people are taller than I am, like Vastra.  
“She doesn’t count, because she’s not-” Meaghan couldn’t finish her sentence because, not only did she realise what she was going to say, but she had fallen to the floor, because Strax had convinced Darby to test out her stun gun on Meaghan.  
“Strax! Darby!” Jenny yelled.  
“It was Strax’s idea!!” Darby yelled, dropping the stun gun, that was still shocking Meaghan.  
“Strax! Fix it!” Darby yelled.  
“How should I know how to fix it?! It’s a stun gun!!”  
While Darby and Strax were fighting over who should fix it (and how), Jenny ran over to the discarded stun gun, picked it up and threw it across the room. The stun gun flew through the air, narrowly missing Vastra’s head as she walked out of the elevator, before hitting the padded wall, out of range of the stun dart in Meaghan’s shoulder.  
“Why?” Vastra asked the room.  
“It..i...it...it was S-Strax’s…f-fault.” Darby stuttered.  
Jenny sighed and turned to face Darby and Strax, “it may have been his idea, but you actually did it. Strax, what have we told you about shooting anyone who wasn’t an enemy?”  
“Not to….” He muttered.  
By that time Vastra had walked over to Meaghan and helped her take the cannon off her arm, and the dart out of her shoulder.  
“They shot me….” Meaghan whispered.  
“You’re surprised?” Vastra asked, as she helped Meaghan to her feet.  
“No, im shocked.”  
“Don’t make me do it again, and I will if you don’t stop the puns!” Darby said as she went to retrieve the stun gun.  
“It was just one!”  
“Anyway, girls, Jenny and I have decided to take you two along with us, on a case, the extra help will be needed, if my plan is to work.” Vastra said, while helping Meaghan stay standing. “Whether you know it or not, Meaghan, you have been trained to fight. In the fight with the Silurians, you were using sword fighting moves, Silurian, sword fighting moves. They don’t really work when you're using a pocket knife, but apparently you know enough to adapt them.”  
“I don’t know how…but as soon as I picked up a knife, I knew how to fight with it, in a lot of different ways. That usually happens with any weapon I pick up... it’s strange it didn't happen with the handcannon….” Meaghan said as she sat down on the floor.  
“Not really, we just made that one a few weeks ago, so you couldn’t have known how to use it, even if you do come from the future.” Jenny said, walking over to stand beside Vastra. “You two will need weapons, but I think you should choose a different weapon than the handcannon, Meaghan, its a bit too noticeable.”  
“Okay, have any daggers or short swords?”  
“I think I have a spare tanto or wakizashi.” Vastra said.  
“That would be fine, thank you Ma’am.”  
Once Vastra and Jenny left the training room, Darby walked over to Meaghan and asked, “Whats a tanto, and wakizashi?”  
Meaghan sighed and started to explain. “They are both Japanese swords. Tanto roughly translates to ‘short blade’ and is a knife or dagger. Usually one-edged, but some were double-edged, though they were asymmetrical. Wakizashi roughly translates to companion sword. It’s a general term for a sword between one and two shaku long, predominantly made after 1600. Generally it’s the short blade that accompanies a katana in the traditional samurai daisho pairing of swords, but may be worn by classes other than the samurai as a single blade, also worn edge up, like the katana.”  
“Wow, you know your swords….”  
“No…. At least I didn’t know that until you asked….”  
“Weird….”  
“Where did Strax go?”  
“I think Jenny scared him off….”  
“Strax can’t be scared…can he?”  
“Jenny can be pretty scary when she wants to be. I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong end of her sword.”  
“let’s go back up, and Darby? Don’t EVER shoot me again.”  
“Sorry”  
Meaghan picked up the Handcannon with her good hand, pocketed the spare ammo, and headed back to the elevator, with Darby following along behind.  
When the elevator stopped, The girls saw Strax standing in the center of the weapons room, holding a grenade.  
“Ready for a rousing game of Dodge Grenade?!” Strax asked excitedly.  
“Uh…. Strax…. We’re kind of…. Tired! Yes. Very tired. Maybe some other time. Ok?” The girls said together, as Meaghan put the handcannon in her pocket.  
“Puny humans… Always need rest… Never want to play with grenades…” Strax walked away muttering sadly to himself.  
The girls exited the cellar as quickly as possible. Darby felt inside her pocket. As they were exiting, she had grabbed the stun gun. The voice had said to stay safe. She didn’t know why, but she felt that she should listen to it. She looked over at Meaghan. She would be getting a better weapon soon. The voice should be pleased. Darby had followed it’s orders. Maybe it will finally make the drums stop permanently.  
They walked into the library, to see Vastra and Jenny waiting for them.  
“Strax will take you to the tailor, here is a letter for her,” Vastra handed a letter to Meaghan. “Once you return we will work on your accent.”  
Meaghan saluted and said. ”Yes, ma’am.”  
“Why do we need to work on our accent?” Darby asked.  
“You’re obviously not from around here.” Jenny answered.  
Strax had come out of the cellar and was mumbling about ‘puny humans’, and ‘grenades’. He led them to the carriage and, once the girls were inside, he drove to the tailors shop. Once Strax had stopped, the girls walked into the closed tailors shop. They saw a counter on the far side with some papers on in, and some manikins along the sides of the room displaying Victorian era clothes. The girls walked up to the counter, and knocked on it.  
“Hello? Anyone there?!” They called together.  
A lady with blond hair pulled back in a braid, walked out of the back room and said “The shop’s clo- oh, you aren’t from around here, are you?”  
“No, Madame Vastra asked us to bring you this.” Meaghan said as she handed the letter to the lady.  
“Of course, who else…” She muttered as she opened the letter and started to read it. “Darby’s first, so, Darby, what’s your favorite color?”  
“Blue.”  
“My name is Annitta, Darby, come with me please.”  
She led Darby into the back room, picked up a measuring tape, started to take measurements, and wrote them down on a piece of paper. when she was done with Darby, she asked “Meaghan, what’s your favorite color?”  
“Red and black.”  
“Alright, stand over here.”  
After Annitta took Meaghan's measurements, she said, “Tell Madame Vastra, that they will be ready in four days.”  
“Thank you, ma’am, goodbye.” The girls said together and walked out into the dark London streets. The lamplighters were out and starting to light up the street the girls were on. They looked around for Strax, but they couldn’t see him anywhere.  
“Where did he go?” Meaghan asked, but Darby was dragging her over to the shadows, to keep out of sight.  
“Don’t stand in the light. you’ll attract attention.” Darby told her.  
“What if Strax forgets about us?”  
“He won’t forget about us….”  
“You don’t sound so sure….”  
Both girls were so focused on Strax forgetting about them, that they failed to see Jenny walk up behind them.  
“Boo.” Jenny whispered in there ears.  
“Jenny! Don’t scare us!” the girls yelled in unison.  
Jenny just laughed and said, “follow me, Strax is busy.”  
They followed Jenny back to the house.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Six days later, the girls got dressed in their Victorian-style dresses. Darby put on her blue dress with a furry-brimmed shawl, and tied her hair up in a bun on the back of her head to keep it out of the way. She put powder makeup on her face like all of the other Victorian women do. Meaghan put on her red and black dress and sat in a chair for Darby to put her makeup on. Once the girls were ready, they walked downstairs to meet with Jenny and Vastra before going on the ‘case’ as they called it.  
“I hate dresses.... And makeup…. Do I have to wear it?” Meaghan mumbled to Darby.  
“I hate it as much as you do but we obviously have to blend in…. Wherever we’re going…” Darby whispered in response.  
They entered the sitting room, where Vastra and Jenny were waiting. Vastra motioned for them to sit down. They sat in chairs opposite to her.  
“Now girls, we haven't told you what this is about yet. We are going on a case. That letter that I showed Jenny, six days ago was from a kidnapper. They took a young women named Hazel Flint. We are going to go get her back. I was told to board a train at a specific time, alone, but as that was obviously a trap, you two, Jenny, and Strax will come also. I will board the train first. Then you and Jenny will five minutes later. Finally, Strax will board by himself right as the train is about to leave. I will be in car two. You two and Jenny will stay in car three. Strax will be in car four. You are to listen to everything Jenny says, and under no circumstances are you to discuss the plan. You are to act like three Victorian women going to visit their aunt and uncle. Is this clear?”  
The girls nodded. They exchanged glances about Hazel Flint, as she shares the same last name as Jenny. They decided not to say anything.  
“Now, Meaghan, you have your swords. Correct?” Jenny asked.  
Meaghan nodded.  
“Good. Your job will be to protect Darby. We clearly see that she is not a fighter, judging by the fact that she can’t even handle a stun gun correctly.” Jenny shot a glare at Darby. “I, however, can handle myself. You are not to interfere with anything I am doing. Just worry about yourself, Strax will also be fine. Sontarans are made to fight. Understand?”  
The girls nodded, wondering how dangerous this ‘case’ would get.  
“Remember to use your accent girls, either that or don’t talk.” Vastra said as she stood up, put on a thick black veil and her black gloves, and walked out the door to get to the train station on time.  
Jenny helped Meaghan hide her weapons in her coat. Darby had hidden the stun gun in her boot so that no one would object to her bringing it. Jenny took the girls’ hands and led them out the door, into the cold, snowy morning. They walked to the train station and purchased three tickets for The Flying Scotsman. Jenny led them to the third car. She sat them at a table and pretended to be their oldest sister, telling them to mind their manners and stay there. She then walked off to ‘look for our brother’ which really meant to survey the train incase a quick escape was needed. The girls looked out the window just in time to see Strax purchase a ticket. He waved slightly at them then walked onto car four.  
“So, Meaghan, what do you think we will do at Aunt Petunia's?” Darby asked her. This was their code phrase for, ‘What are we going to do if something goes wrong?’  
Meaghan shrugged and said ”We’ll figure it out, when we get there.”  
Jenny came back five minutes later and sat down on the bench across from them.  
“I found him, but he won’t leave his new friend.”  
The girls looked out the window as the train began to move. Slow at first, then faster and faster as the train picked up speed. Meaghan pulled out an old set of cards from her pocket, giving seven to Darby and seven to herself. She put the rest in a pile between them and they began a game of Go Fish. Jenny sat quietly waiting for signs of anything happening when they heard a scream.  
“What was tha-” Meaghan and Darby asked together.  
“Stay here!” Jenny said walking away swiftly.  
The girls looked at each other, then at the leaving Jenny, then back at each other. They got up and discretely followed.  
Many of the passengers just sat and pretended that nothing happened, while others looked deeply concerned and began gossiping. The girls kept following Jenny. The Drums had started again and their heads were pounding, but something told them not to let Jenny out of their sight. When Jenny finally stopped, it was outside of a bedroom. She pulled the curtain back and walked in, with the girls following closely at her heels. They leaned against the wall and peeked through the curtain. Jenny was crouched beside a dead woman. Darby closed her eyes. She couldn’t stand the sight. Meaghan kept looking. The voice in her head wanted to see how Jenny reacted to the body.  
Jenny felt for the woman's pulse, and finding none she looked at the girls leaning against the wall.  
“I told you to stay there.” Sighing she added, “Darby, stand watch outside.”  
As Darby turned around, Meaghan walked closer to the dead woman.  
“Is she dead?”  
“Yes.” Jenny replied, looking for the cause of death.  
There was a stab wound in the lady’s side, and there were half-footprints of blood leading outside the room. Meaghan looked around the room for more clues. There was a piece of paper on the lower bunk bed. She picked it up and read what it said.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
I told Vastra to come alone. Don’t interfere or the same thing happens to Hazel.  
~S.A.~  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“Um…. Jenny? I found something.” Meaghan said as she handed the paper to Jenny.  
“This handwriting looks familiar.” Jenny said after reading it. “S…. A- No, it can’t be….”  
Jenny folded the paper in half, and walked out of the room, with Meaghan following closely.  
“Darby, give this to Vastra. Meaghan and I will follow the footprints.”  
After Darby put the paper in her pocket, she hastily walked to the second train car. Meaghan and Jenny followed the footprints to the storage car, where a tall man was leaning against a crate, cleaning blood off of his sword. He was wearing a long black trench coat, black boots, and a black velvet top hat. He had short black hair with green highlights.  
“Hello, sister dear. At last we meet, father will be most displeased that you have failed to watch over his favorite daughter.” The tall man said as he sheathed his sword.  
He picked up some rope that was laying on top of the crate, and slung it over his shoulder. “Now that Sarah has backstabbed me, I will help you and your friend get Hazel. But after that sister dear, it will be time to remember.”  
“Who are you?” Meaghan asked.  
“I’m hurt you don’t remember that my name, sister dear, is Sketch.”  
“Who took my sister?” Jenny asked him.  
“I think you already know the answer to that, Jenny.” He said before walking to the door behind him. “She’s this way.”  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
Darby found Vastra in the second train car. She approached the table she was sitting at with caution. Vastra did say that they weren’t supposed to interact…  
“V-Vastra?” Darby stuttered. “I-I have th-this for y-you…”  
She held the note out dumbly, having no courage to say anything else. Vastra looked at her, slightly surprised. Jenny was supposed to watch her, so if she was here, something must be wrong. Vastra took the note and quickly read it.  
“What happened?” Vastra asked anxiously.  
“There was a murder… Didn’t you hear the scream?” Darby asked timidly.  
“I assumed Jenny would deal with it. Alright. Let’s go find Jenny, Meaghan, and Strax.” Vastra said grabbing Darby’s arm and leading her away.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
Sketch opened the door and they saw a young woman tied up in the far right corner, and a lady with long black hair, standing in the center of the car, looking at the captive.  
“Sarah, it wasn’t wise to threaten my sisters,” pointing to Jenny, Sketch said, “and my father wants this one alive.”  
As Sarah turned around to face the three in the doorway, Jenny gasped and said, “I thought you were dead!”  
“Sister dear, let’s leave Sarah for Jenny, and go untie Hazel.” Sketch whispered, as he grabbed Meaghan’s good arm and walked over to the captive in the corner.  
As they approached Hazel, she tried to get away from Sketch, clearly afraid of him.  
“It’s ok. He won’t hurt you Hazel, or I’ll kill him.” Meaghan said as she drew her tanto, cut the rope that was binding Hazels arms to her sides, and untied the gag.  
“Thank you! Thank you!” Hazel said, and then she stood up and slapped Sketch, knocking the top hat off his head.  
“I’m guessing you kidnapped her for Sarah.” Meaghan said after sheathing her tanto.  
Sketch sighed and said, “You guess right.”  
Jenny was just standing in shock, staring at Sarah, as Vastra, Darby, and Strax entered the room. Then Sketch walked up behind Sarah and tied his rope around her arms, pinning them to her sides.  
“Jenny! I did this for you!” Sarah yelled as she felt the rope tightening around her. “I wanted to make them pay for disowning you!” Sarah started to cry.  
“Sarah… I thought you died.” Jenny said walking over to the struggling Sarah.  
“Now we can be together forever!” Sarah cried through tears.  
“Sarah…. I’m married.” This did nothing to stop the tears flowing from Sarah’s eyes.  
“I don’t believe you!” Sarah yelled struggling even harder to get free of the rope.  
Darby walked over to Meaghan and whispered, “Who is that guy holding the rope around Sarah? He looks familiar.”  
“Apparently he’s our brother, Sketch.” Meaghan whispered back.  
Vastra walked up behind Jenny, put a hand on her shoulder and asked, “Is this Sarah Ashton?”  
“Yes.” Jenny whispered.  
“You told me she died.”  
“I thought she was- I watched her die.”  
“Now, she’s going to prison.” Sketch said.  
“Prison?! But I didn’t do anything!” Sarah screamed.  
Sketch put her in a chokehold to shut her up. Once she stopped struggling, he dropped her in the corner, and walked over to Meaghan, Darby, and Strax.  
Vastra gave Jenny a hug, and Sarah became enraged. She managed to get into a standing position, and ran at Vastra and Jenny, screaming. Darby quickly reached into her boot, grabbed her stun gun, and shot Sarah in the chest. Sarah fell to the floor, unconscious.  
“So you do know how to use it properly.” Jenny said.  
Darby didn’t respond, because the Drums suddenly grew very loud in both her and Meaghan's head. They both fell to the floor in pain. Sketch stood there, watching, like he was expecting something to happen.  
“Here it comes!” Said Sketch, full of excitement.  
“Are you two ok?!” Jenny asked, worried.  
They both slowly got up. Suddenly, in a blur of motion, Sketch pounded on Strax’s probic vent, and before anyone could do anything, Darby shot Vastra and Jenny with the stun gun with lightning fast reflexes.  
Sketch smiled at the girls, and dragged Strax into the room he met Jenny in and laid him against a crate, he then dragged Jenny and Vastra into the room, and, with help from the girls, moved some crates out of the way so they could easily reach the TARDIS that Sketch had parked neatly in the corner.  
“Ah, the Doctor’s TARDIS. So easy to fly. I wonder why he has such a hard time with it.” Sketch said after picking up Strax.   
Sketch carried Strax into the TARDIS and put him beside the Doctor’s unconscious body, as Meaghan did the same with Jenny.  
“Does father need Vastra?” She asked her older brother.  
“Yes. You get her while I find more rope.”  
Meaghan walked out of the TARDIS to get Vastra, as Sketch and Darby walked off to get more rope, but Vastra wasn't where they left her. Meaghan looked around and saw Hazel dragging Vastra to the door.  
“Hey! You! Stop!” Meaghan yelled.  
“NO!” Hazel shouted back still trying to drag Vastra, with no success.  
Meaghan walked up to Hazel, pulled out the handcannon, and said, “Don’t make me use this.”  
“W-What is that?!”  
Meaghan sighed and hit Hazel over the head with it, knocking her out. Meaghan put the handcannon away, and picked Vastra up and walked back into the TARDIS, where Sketch and Darby were tying up the others.  
“Hazel was trying to take Vastra away.” Meaghan said irritably as she placed Vastra with the others, and tied her up.  
“Okay Darby, father only told you, where his base is, so you’ll have to fly the TARDIS there.” Sketch said as he finished tying Strax up.  
“Where is the Doctor?” Meaghan asked.  
“Wha- oh, you weren't with him. He regenerated. That’s him.” Sketch said, pointing to the man with gray hair and very angry eyebrows, in a black and red outfit. “You don’t know the concept of regeneration right now do you? Oh well, you’ll remember soon enough. Im surprised you didn’t know earlier, because right after he regenerated, he went to Victorian London. Ah you two were probably kept away from him.”  
In mid-flight the Doctor woke up.  
“What?! You! Untie me this instant!” The Doctor yelled in a scottish accent at Sketch. While trying to undo the ropes, he noticed Darby flying the TARDIS and Meaghan standing by the door. “Meaghan? Darby, how are you doing that!?”  
“They can’t hear you. Well, they can, but they aren’t listening. They only respond to what he allows them to respond to. And right now, that’s not you. So shut up.” Sketch snapped.  
The TARDIS landed with the wheezing noise. Sketch opened the door to reveal a blond haired man wearing a black hoodie and black sweatpants. He seemed delighted to see them.  
“Ah! Sketch, Meaghan!” He announced happily. Then, he looked at Darby, “Hello my sweet daughter!”  
The Doctor looked amazed. “Master.…” Is all he could say.  
“Doctor! Welcome to my family reunion! Please, stay awhile!” The Master said joyfully.  
“What are you doing with them? Let them go! They’re only children!” He glanced around, and noticed Strax, Vastra, and Jenny unconscious beside him. “What is this!? Let us go!”  
“Well, as much as I’d love to explain, it would be more fun to just show you. I’ll let them out of my mind control now, but only for a moment.” The Master grinned evilly.  
Darby and Meaghan suddenly fell to the ground. The Drums had stopped, and they could now think for themselves. They slowly rose to their feet and looked around. The first thing they noticed was the Doctor, tied up in his own TARDIS.  
“DOCTOR!!!” They shouted together, running over to him.  
“Stop!” The Master yelled. Both the girls turned to look at him. “Sit. There. Now.” he said, pointing at the TARDIS chair.  
They looked at the Doctor, then back at the strange man.  
“Or else your precious Doctor gets it.” The Master threatened.  
The girls quietly walked over to the chair and sat down.  
The Master walked over to the Doctor, got an inch away from his face and said, “You may want to see this. Time to show my little magic trick. Pay close attention, I won’t show you again.”  
The Master walked in front of the girls. He smiled and looked at the Doctor to make sure he was watching. The Master pulled two fob watches out of his pocket. He took one more glance to make sure the Doctor was paying attention, then opened them. A golden gas began to pour out of the watches, getting closer and closer to the frightened girls.  
To Be Continued.


	5. The Master's Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group is captured with no hope to escape, and a spectacular secret is revealed...

The girls watched as the gas started to creep closer. They began hearing voices in the gas, calling to them. Memories flowed into their heads. Sketch, forgotten memories of each other, and their father. They looked over at the Doctor with fear in their eyes. He had an indescribable expression on his face. Suddenly, the gas swirled around the girls. They breathed it in, then fell back in their chairs, unconscious.  
“Once everyone has awoken, and I mean everyone, bring the prisoners to my lab.” The Master told Sketch.  
“Yes, Master.” Sketch said, bowing to his father.  
The Master walked out of the TARDIS, with an evil grin.  
Sketch started to sharpen his assortment of weaponry, when Strax woke up.  
Strax looked at the Doctor and said, “Sir! Emergency! We seem to have been captured!”  
“Really? I hadn’t noticed. Thank you, Strax, for bringing this to my attention.” The Doctor remarked, rolling his eyes.  
“You’re welcome, sir!” Strax said triumphantly. When Strax finally noticed the unconscious lizard and human beside him, he asked, “What happened to Madame and the boy?!”   
The Doctor groaned. “Just, try to wake them up.”  
Strax shifted slightly, leaning on the Doctor, and kicked Jenny. She stirred slightly but didn’t wake. He did it again. After the third kick, Jenny woke up. Strax shifted himself to lean against the wall again.  
“What tha-” Jenny mumbled, trying her best to sit up.  
“Jenny, don't say anything, just wake Vastra up.” The Doctor instructed.  
After Jenny sat up, she tried to communicate telepathically with Vastra, but it failed. Jenny rolled her eyes and then purposely fell over on Vastra. Vastra woke up with a start. She was very confused as to why Jenny was on top of her.  
“Okay, now that everyone’s awake, this is what happened. I got captured by that boy over there and woke up to you three laying beside me.” The Doctor explained shortly.  
“Doctor, the girls were with us. Where are they?” Vastra asked.  
“Over there. On the TARDIS chair.” The Doctor nodded in their direction.  
Vastra, Jenny, and Strax looked over at the two girls. They were not tied up, just sleeping on the chair.  
“But what happened to them? I mean, they aren’t tied up.” Jenny asked.  
“Their fob watches were opened.” The Doctor said. Seeing their confused faces, he elaborated. “Time Lords are able to change themselves into many different races, as a hiding mechanism. They are able to store all of their memories and biological DNA in fob watches. The Master must have changed them to be human. He opened their fob watches when I woke up. It was too much for them to absorb at once, so now they're asleep.”  
“Doctor, you’re not saying that they’re- I mean, they can’t be. Can they?” Vastra asked.  
“The Master has done many things. I don’t doubt that he was able to pull this off. They are Time Lords.” He answered.  
It was a few hours later when the girls finally woke up.  
“Ow, my head…. Are you okay, sis?” Meaghan asked, holding her head.  
“I can’t believe he did that! Sketch, where’s dad!?” Darby asked, outraged.  
“So you two are finally awake. Father wants us to take the prisoners to his lab.” Sketch said as he put the sword he was sharpening back in its sheath.  
Meaghan sighed and walked over to the prisoners. “I was just starting to like these three, too.” She said pointing to Jenny, Strax, and Vastra.  
“I am not doing anything until I talk to him! I can’t believe he did that!” Darby let out a frustrated scream and marched out the TARDIS door.  
“Why should she care? She did it of her own free will…. I think….” Sketch said to the air, as he walked over to the four people tied up against the wall.  
“Sketch, Stay here, I have to go do something.” Meaghan said as she walked into the TARDIS hallway.  
Sketch punched the wall and yelled, “Why?! Why did they have to come back?! I was the favorite! Before Darby gave Father the rest of her regenerations! He trained me personally! I was the best assassin on Gallifrey! And he just ignored me, after she ‘saved’ him. She should have just let him die!” He then looked at the four people staring at him, and clamped a hand over his mouth.  
“Oh, you’re lucky they didn’t hear that.” The Doctor said.  
“Shut up. Don’t you dare tell them! Or else!” Sketch threatened.  
“Or else, what? You need us, don’t you?”  
“Father needs the Silurian, the human, and you. But Strax, I can do what I want with him.” Sketch said evilly.  
Meaghan walked back into the control room, she had changed back into the clothes that the Doctor had given her.  
“Okay, let’s take them to Father.” She said.  
Sketch picked the Doctor up by his collar, and made him stand, and then Strax. Meaghan helped Vastra and Jenny stand up, much more kindly than Sketch. Sketch marched the Doctor to the TARDIS doors. They were in single file, first was the Doctor, then Strax, then Vastra, followed by Jenny, Sketch was leading them, and Meaghan was following along behind, making sure no one tried to escape. They walked out into a huge room, with stairs going down a few feet in front of them. There were machines everywhere, and at the far end were stairs going up and, level with the platform they were standing on, was another platform with a machine in the center, and a huge metal door behind it. The Master and Darby were standing in front of the machine on the far side. They could hear Darby yelling at the Master.  
“I can’t believe you did that!” Darby yelled. “You didn’t even tell me! Meaghan and Sketch knew but you just decided to take me while I was asleep! I did not want to do this and you knew that!” She glanced over and saw Meaghan and Sketch with the Doctor, Jenny, Vastra, and Strax. Darby lowered her voice, “And now look what you’ve done. I need to go change out of this ridiculous dress.” She let out a frustrated groan and stomped away to change into her clothes from the Doctor’s wardrobe, as the Master watched his beloved daughter storm away.  
Sketch led them across the room and up the next set of stairs, to the platform the Master was on. Meaghan made the prisoners stand shoulder to shoulder, facing the Master.  
The Master grinned, and said “Doctor! How much I love getting to you through your friends. This is the time that I will win, and nothing you can do will stop me. Oh, and Vastra, don’t think of using your poisonous tongue, or Sketch will have a little chat with Jenny.”  
The Master turned around and opened a panel on the side of the box-like machine in the center of the platform. It folded out to make a computer.  
“Doctor, this is a progenation machine, a progenation machine takes a sample of someones DNA and creates…an offspring from it. But I have modified this one. This one, will take DNA from more than one person. You may be curious as to why I would need a progenation machine, well, I have failed at creating a perfect warrior. You have met my failed attempts…Sketch, Meaghan, and Darby…Sketch is a perfect assassin, Darby is a flawless strategist, Meaghan is an incomplete, and insane, combination of the two. So I have been scouring the universe, trying to find a way to create a perfect warrior. I came across the sontarans, they may be great warriors, but…no.  
“The humans are the most resilient, and creative race I could find. And the only race that I have seen out-smart the sontarans, is the Silurians. So, with the help of your little friends, Doctor, I will create the perfect warrior.”  
Sketch grabbed Vastra’s shoulders and forced her to walk over to the progenation machine, while Meaghan grabbed Jenny’s shoulder with one hand, and put her tanto against Jenny’s neck with the other.  
“If you do anything, your precious wife gets killed.” The Master told Vastra, as he untied her hands. “I don’t need the person alive to get their DNA.”  
The Master opened another panel, but this time it was on the front.  
“Put your arm in there.” The Master instructed.  
Taking off one of her gloves, Vastra did what he said, and winced as the progenation machine got what it required from her hand. The machine let go of Vastra’s hand and the Master tied her hands together again. Sketch led Vastra back to the line and Meaghan led Jenny to the machine.  
“Jenny, you have a choice, do this willingly, or die.” The Master told her.  
Jenny walked up to the machine after Meaghan lowered her tanto. Meaghan sheathed her sword and untied Jenny, who then put her arm in the machine.  
When the machine let her go, Meaghan re-tied her hands and led her back to the others, and the Master started typing on the computer.  
“Wait…. I have a brilliant idea. Why not add Time Lord to the mix? Come on Doctor. Willingly, or your friends deaths?” The Master asked.  
The Doctor walked up to the machine, and the Master untied him and immediately the Doctor reached for his sonic.  
“Sketch took you sonic screwdriver. Doctor, one last chance, or they die.” The Master said as Meaghan held her tanto against Jenny’s neck, and Sketch held a dagger against Vastra’s.   
The Doctor put his arm in the progenation machine, with an even angrier look on his face. “I hope you’re happy.” He glared at the Master.  
“Extremely!” The Master said with a huge grin on his face.  
After the Doctor was tied up again, and back in line, the Master went back to typing thing on the computer.  
Suddenly the huge metal door behind the progenation machine started to open, and a lot of smoke drifted out. All they could see was a silhouette of a feminine person about six feet tall walking out of the smoke.   
The Master sighed and with a sad face said, “Of course its female. Because two out of three parent DNA is….”  
She walked out into the bigger room, and everyone gasped when they could see around the smoke. She was wearing a black sleeveless shirt with a high collar, dark brown pants, and black boots that came to her knee. Her fingers looked human, but from the palm up her arms were green and scaly. Her head was human looking, but it was covered in green scales, and she had wavy dark brown hair that reached her waist. Her right eye was dark brown, and her left eye was icy blue.  
“Amalexia.” The Master told her. “Your name is Amalexia.”   
“Amalexia?! Really Master?!” The Doctor asked, shocked, and a bit angry. “You named her after our childhood friend?!”  
“Yes? What else would I call her?”   
“I don’t know, maybe something besides Amalexia?” The Doctor said sarcastically.  
“Sketch, Meaghan, put them in cells, I’ll deal with them later. And try to calm down my daughter, will you Meaghan?” The Master said as he led Amalexia to a door, with what looked like a training room beyond.  
That annoyed Meaghan more than anything. How could he treat her like she wasn’t his daughter? She guessed she would always be just Darby’s guard to him.  
Meaghan and Sketch led Vastra, Jenny, Strax, and the Doctor, back down the stairs and through a door on the far left side of the room. It led into a hallway with five doors on either side. There was a huge window beside the door so you could see the prisoner inside. Meaghan led Vastra and Jenny down the hallway and stopped at the last two cells. Sketch put the Doctor into the first cell on the right, and Strax into the third on the left. Meaghan took Vastra’s veil , and then put Jenny and Vastra into cells across from each other.  
“Sketch, how did you capture the Doctor?” Meaghan asked.  
“It was annoyingly easy. I was watching over you two, at the orphanage, so when the Doctor came back after he left you in Victorian London, I snuck aboard the TARDIS.”  
“How did you know where we were?” Meaghan asked suspiciously  
“With this” He held up his arm and pulled his sleeve back. ”It’s a modified vortex manipulator. Father gave it to me when he trained me to be the best assassin on Gallifrey.”  
“There are assassins on Gallifrey?”  
Sketch sighed and explained.”The Celestial Intervention Agency, was created to be a covert arm of the High Council, to safeguard the Time Lords' interests. I was one of their agents, and a freelance bounty hunter.”  
“But why did he come back to the orphanage?”  
“He wanted to see if he could figure out how you and Darby could speak telepathically and use telekinesis.”  
“Oh, okay then…why can we do those things?”  
“Do you know nothing?” He sighed again before answering her. ”Father experimented on both of you. he thought that if he combined your minds it would create the super soldier he wanted, but like all of his experiments, it failed, fortunately for you two it didn’t mess you up too bad. But thats the real reason you're insane. Just make sure you keep that ring on, I don’t want to have to shoot you again.”  
Meaghan looked at the black, blue, and red, braided metal ring on her little finger.   
“You, stand guard here...I’ll go talk to Darby.” Meaghan said as she left the hallway, and went looking for her sister.  
She found her in her room on the other side of the base. She was sitting on her bed reading.  
“Darby, are you alright?” Meaghan asked.  
“If it will get everyone to leave me alone, then yeah, I’m fine.” Darby told her sister without looking up from her book. “Now I’d like to read my book if you don’t mind.”  
“Darby, I didn’t chose to do it either. But now we won. We got them, just like he wanted. And now he has a hybrid super soldier, and now we can takeover the galaxy!”  
Darby shut her book. “You honestly think this is ok? That he just keeps hurting people to get what he wants? Why should we take over the galaxy? We don’t have a valid reason. I get why Sketch doesn’t feel this way. He’s the perfect assassin. Of course he doesn’t get it. I don’t think that way because I’m a strategist. I don’t think violently, I think logically. And then there’s you. You’ve got a combination of both. You should be able to see it on either side. You should be able to see that this is wrong. Just, try okay?”  
“I do see, but you were fine with it before we became human. Why change now? At least go talk to Father. He takes his anger out on his captives, remember? I kinda like those four now….” She trailed off as she walked out of the room.  
Darby sat a minute, thinking. She stood up and walked out of the room to find the Master. She found him in the training room with the hybrid.  
“So, have you got a new favorite then?” She said leaning against the doorway.  
“No! You are my favorite! She isn’t even my daughter!” The Master said as he walked over to Darby  
She backed up and folded her arms. “The only reason I came is because Meaghan suggested it. I am still plenty cross with you.”  
“What do you want? I can give you something. Name something. Anything.” He bribed.  
Darby thought about this for a moment. What she said now could help her in the long run. “How about… The Doctor’s sonic screwdriver?” She proposed.  
The Master looked slightly surprised at her answer. “Fine.” He said. “Go tell Sketch that I said to give it to you.”  
With that, Darby walked to the prison. She entered the room to find Sketch leaning against the wall. He turned to see who had come in.  
“Oh, so you’ve decided to join us again have you?” Sketch said in a mocking tone.  
“Dad said to give me the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver.” Darby stated.  
The Doctor heard this and suddenly became interested in the conversation. He discreetly moved closer to the door so that he could hear better. Darby saw him but didn’t say anything.  
“Why?” Sketch asked suspiciously.  
“Because he did. Now give it to me.” Darby demanded.  
Sketch pushed her up against a wall. “Maybe you should get him to tell me that you’re allowed to have it.”  
Darby pushed his arms outward with hers and kicked his knees. Sketch fell to the floor.  
“Don’t talk while pinning a strategist. It doesn’t end well on your part.” She said, holding up the sonic. Darby put it in her pocket and left the room, with all four prisoners staring at her.  
The next day, Meaghan woke up to Sketch pounding on her door.  
Walking over to the door and opening it quickly she yelled, “What?!”  
Sketch looked like he had been sprinting,and his top hat was on the floor next to his feet.  
“He’s-he’s experimenting on her!” Sketch panted.  
“On who?!” Meaghan asked, scared.  
“Jenny!”  
Meaghan slammed the door closed so she could change clothes, and then she and Sketch ran to the Master’s lab.  
They burst into the room, but the Master was nowhere in sight.  
“Maybe he took her back to the cells?” Sketch suggested.  
They ran to the prison, as fast as they could. They arrived just in time to see the Master toss an unconscious Jenny into her cell. They also saw Vastra was laying on the floor of her cell unconscious.  
“What have you done?!” Meaghan yelled.  
“What?” The Master said with a look of disgust.  
“What did you do to her?!” Sketch yelled at his father.  
“Don’t raise your voice at me. That is a very dangerous thing to do.” The Master warned.  
“I have had enough of this!” Sketch yelled, “I am tired of doing everything for you, and you treat Meaghan and I like dirt!”  
“What. Why should I care about you two?”  
Meaghan remembered what had happened seven days ago, in Victorian London, when Harold Flint came to Vastra for help, and completely ignored Jenny. Meaghan knew exactly how Jenny felt, and now she was angry, but before she could do anything, the drums came back and she couldn’t move.  
The Master laughed and said “You really thought you could betray me? I still have control over you. But now that I have Amalexia, you are no longer needed. Amalexia can guard Darby, you two can die.” He sighed before adding, “I no longer need these people, my experiment didn’t have the desired effects, instead of turning her into a different race, I think I just slowed down her ageing process exponentially. Such a shame she doesn't get to benefit from it.”  
He laughed, and then made Sketch, and Meaghan, lead Strax and the Doctor to the huge center room and kneel. He then made Meaghan carry Jenny , and Sketch carry Vastra, into the large center room, and put them on the floor. After that, he had them go wake up Darby and lead her to the others.  
When the three children got back to the center room, Amalexia was standing beside the Master, holding a gun, and Vastra and Jenny were awake and kneeling beside the others.  
“Meaghan, Sketch, kneel by the others.” The Master ordered.  
They did.  
“Darby? Kill Meaghan.” He ordered.  
“What?!” She yelled.  
“My. Dear. Daughter. Shoot. Her. Now.” He paused after every word.  
Darby then realised that he must have control over her sister, for her to just sit there and let him kill her. So she came up with a fast plan, that had a twenty percent chance of working. She grabbed the only gun she had, and shot her sister, with the stun gun.  
The electricity from the stun gun kicked the Master out of Meaghan’s head, and she could move freely again, so she tackled the Master, causing them both to fall to the ground. As she did, the link between the Master and Sketch broke.   
Sketch jumped up and drew a dagger. He started to free the prisoners hands.  
Amalexia just stood there watching Meaghan beat the Master to a pulp, with a curious expression on her face.  
Vastra and Jenny had to pull Meaghan off of the Master, they kept saying something but she couldn’t hear, she was so angry.  
Amalexia handed Vastra her sword, and Strax his gun.  
“Darby? My sonic.” The Doctor said, while glaring at the Master.  
Darby handed over his sonic screwdriver, as Meaghan finally realised what they had been saying, ‘He’s dead! Stop!’.  
“Strax…. My arm hurts….” Meaghan said as she fell to the ground.  
Strax unbandaged her injured arm and said, “Its gotten worse! You really should stop using it, boy.”  
The Doctor put his sonic screwdriver in his jacket’s inside pocket. Darby looked at him then quickly stared at the ground. The Doctor looked at her.  
“So… I guess you won’t want to be traveling with us anymore then….” Darby said quietly, shuffling her feet and staring at the ground.  
“It’s dangerous for him to travel alone.” Vastra said  
“You are still welcome to travel with me girls, but Sketch….”  
“All I need is for you to take me away from this place.” Sketch said. “And I won’t bother you ever again.”  
“Fine.” The Doctor said and walked over to his TARDIS.  
The Doctor opened the TARDIS door and led everyone in. They all stood around the console. The Doctor walked over and opened a panel in the floor. He took out a bunch of wires and strange materials.  
“What’s that?” Jenny asked.  
“It’s a bomb.” Strax replied.  
“Right. We can’t leave the Master laying there, and we most certainly cannot leave this base here. I’m going to put it on a timer. It’ll go off in a minute, just enough time for me to get the TARDIS out of here.”  
“What if there are other people here? There is another prison on the other side of the base.” Meaghan asked.  
“Meaghan, Amalexia, and Jenny, go check the other prison, Vastra help me with the bomb.” The Doctor ordered.  
Meaghan and Amalexia walked out of the TARDIS, but the Doctor stopped Jenny, and poked her hand with his sonic screwdriver, before letting her leave.  
“I don’t really need help with the bomb.”  
“What did he do to Jenny, and what exactly is Amalexia?” Vastra asked.  
“I don’t know, but I'm going to find out.” The Doctor said as he put his sonic screwdriver in a socket on the console and looked at the screen. “Now thats interesting.”  
“What is?” Darby asked.  
“Amalexia has two hearts, one is warm blooded and the other is cold blooded.”  
“Can she regenerate?” Vastra asked.  
“I don’t know, but there would only be one way to find out, and I’m not willing to take that chance.”  
“Doctor, what did he do to Jenny?” Vastra asked him again, anxiously.  
The Doctor pressed some buttons and the screen changed. The Doctor read it and then reread it two or three times to make sure he read it correctly.  
“Vastra, give me your hand.” He said as he picked up his sonic screwdriver.  
He poked her hand and then put the screwdriver back in the slot, and looked at the screen again.  
“It looks like he was trying to turn her into a silurian, but, thankfully, failed.”  
“So what did he do?” Vastra asked.  
“Like he said, he slowed down her ageing process exponentially.”  
“She was unconscious Doctor….” Darby told him.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
Meaghan, Amalexia, and Jenny were running to the other side of the base, when Meaghan slipped on something and fell, hitting the ground head first she lost consciousness.  
“Really?” Jenny asked.”Why is it always her?”  
“She has bad luck?” Amalexia suggested.  
Jenny grinned and said, “You can carry her.”  
“Yes Ma’am.” Amalexia said as she picked up Meaghan.  
“Let’s walk this time.”  
“Good idea Ma’am.”  
It took thirty minutes to reach the other prison.  
“Leave Meaghan here, and we can go search the prison.”  
“Yes Ma’am.” Amalexia said as she put Meaghan down by the door.  
Jenny opened the door, and saw a long hallway, with cells on either side, there were about fifty cells in all.  
“You take the right, and I’ll take the left.” Jenny ordered.  
As they walked down the hallway, Meaghan woke up, but her head was swimming so she just stayed on the ground where she was.  
“Renalia?!” she heard Jenny exclaim.  
Jenny opened the cell and untied Renalia before helping her up.  
“Tek is here somewhere, we have to find him!” Ren yelled.  
“Wait with Meaghan, we will find him.”  
Ren walked over and sat beside Meaghan, as Amalexia and Jenny searched for Tek.  
He was in the last cell, and the only other person in the prison. After Amalexia let him out, and untied him, they all walked back to the TARDIS.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
An hour later, Meaghan, Jenny, Amalexia, Renalia, and Tek, walked into the TARDIS.  
“Renalia? Tek? What are you guys doing here?” Darby asked.  
“The Master captured us.” Ren replied.  
“Okay, then if thats it, we should blow this place to smithereens!” Strax yelled excitedly.  
The Doctor rolled his eyes, and then ran outside and placed the bomb next to the Master’s lifeless body. He started the timer, and, with one last look at his childhood friend, ran back to the TARDIS.  
Darby, Meaghan, and Sketch helped the Doctor pilot the TARDIS to Victorian London. They landed in Vastra’s parlor.  
“Amalexia is more than welcome to stay with us, Doctor. She’ll fit in quite well.” Vastra said.  
“But the boy’s arm is not fully healed.” Strax started to say.  
The Doctor cut him off, “I don’t have silurians to save now. She stays here. Now that she’s a Time Lord again, she will heal faster.”  
Amalexia walked over to the Doctor and said with a smile, “Goodbye, Grandfather!” Slightly confused, the Doctor just waved. And with that, they left.  
They then piloted the TARDIS to the planet Sida, where they said goodbye to Tek and Renalia.   
The Doctor, Sketch, Meaghan, and Darby then flew the TARDIS to modern day London. There, they let Sketch off.  
“Don’t make me have to come after you. You stay out of trouble. Understand?” The Doctor asked sternly.  
“Yes sir.” Sketch replied, leaving the TARDIS.  
The Doctor closed the TARDIS door and turned to the girls. They sat on the chair near the console and avoided his eye contact. Maybe if they didn’t look at him, he may not bring it up. They stayed like that for about a minute when finally, Darby couldn’t stand the tension.  
“Doctor… Please don’t look at us like that….” Darby said, still not looking at him. “We can leave…. Just drop us off at the orphanage…. We can convince them that we were never adopted…. Or we can just live with Sketch….”  
The Doctor stared at them for a moment, then replied, “Girls, I know what the Master is like. And the fact that he was…well, you know. It was hard for you. Darby, you took my sonic for a reason didn’t you? You didn’t want Sketch to have it?” Darby nodded. “That’s what I thought. And Meaghan. When you found out that the Master was hurting Jenny and Vastra, you did the right thing. He had you under the idea that he was immortal. He isn’t. He is the same as you or me. I don’t blame you for not being able to stand up to him, Meaghan. It’s alright. You two are my daughters. I will not abandon you.” The Doctor told them softly.  
The girls looked up. The Doctor was crouched in front of them so that he was eye level. The girls hugged him and began crying. Taken slightly off guard, he awkwardly patted their backs. The girls leaned back and, wiping tears from their eyes, looked at him.  
“So, not a hugger this time?” They said together, smiling.  
“I don’t think so.” He answered.  
“Too bad!” The girls yelled joyfully, hugging him tighter this time.


	6. Picnic on Pluto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gallifreyans relay different stories of their times apart.

The Doctor was staring at Meaghan and Darby.  
“You have a lot of explaining to do.” He said after a few minutes.  
“Can we go to Pluto?” Meaghan asked, trying to change the subject. “It’s my favorite planet!”  
“Please?!” Darby joined in.  
“Fine! But once we get there you two will explain everything!”  
“Can we have a picnic?!” The girls asked in unison.  
“What? Fine, I guess so. You're making it though.” He said as he walked around the console, flipping levers and pressing buttons.  
“Yay! You’re the best!” The girls shouted and ran off to the kitchen.  
When they got there, they searched for things that they may need.  
“How about apples?” asked Meaghan.  
“No. Apples are rubbish.” Darby replied pulling out bananas and holding them up for approval.  
“Sure! Bananas are good!” Meaghan said with a grin.  
The girls pulled out noodles, cheese, and a pot. They were both thinking of making their favorite meal, macaroni and cheese. They found a picnic basket in a closet and found a blanket in the wardrobe. They put the bananas in, then got glasses. They opened the refrigerator and looked for something to drink. Darby took a wine bottle out and made a sour face after she tasted it. She then walked over to Meaghan and acted as though it was the best thing she ever tasted. Meaghan took a sip and spit it into the sink, scowling at Darby. Meaghan filled the pot with water and poured the noodles in. She let them soften up then went to help Darby pick a drink. They decided on Pepsi. They found special straws that add more fiz and added them to the basket. Deciding that they’d need dessert, Darby opened the freezer looking for popsicles. A box of fish fingers fell out with a sticky note attached:  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Save for River. She has to try fish fingers and custard one of these days!  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Darby shrugged and opened the refrigerator once again to get the custard. Whoever River was, she would have to wait. The Doctor clearly likes these, so they would be in the picnic. She took two bowls out of the cupboard and added them to the basket with the fish fingers and custard.  
Meaghan poured the noodles into a strainer and let them dry out while she searched for a pan to put them in. She found a red one with black designs on it and poured the noodles in. She put cheese on top and put them in the oven for 30 minutes.  
“Girls! We are here when you’re ready!” The Doctor called.  
“Give us about half an hour!” The girls yelled back.  
They heard a frustrated groan and continued preparing the basket.  
“We should wear hats!” Darby shouted.  
“It’s a picnic. Not a birthday party.” Meaghan replied.  
“So?”  
“Good point.” Meaghan said walking with Darby to to wardrobe.  
They walked in and looked around for fun, silly hats. Darby saw a red circular hat on the top shelf. She climbed up and grabbed the hat, putting it on her head. She turned around with a smile on her face, displaying her discovery to Meaghan. Excited, she jumped over and spread her arms out so that Meaghan could see how nice she looked.  
“...Is that a fez?” Meaghan asked.  
“Oh, is that what it’s called? I dunno. I like it.” She responded twirling around.  
Meaghan laughed, “It suits you. Help me get this stetson down.”  
Darby locked her fingers together and had Meaghan step up on them. She grabbed the stetson, then fell over onto Darby, clothes tumbling over top of them. Laughing, the girls got up and went on pursuit for one more hat.  
“Look! It’s a jester hat! I like it! That one can be mine. The Doctor can choose between the stetson and the fez.” Meaghan said, taking the hat off of the rack.  
Darby sniffed. “Do you smell something burning?”  
“The macaroni!” Meaghan yelled, sprinting towards the kitchen.  
She turned the oven off and pulled the door open. The outside of the macaroni and cheese was burnt.  
“Oh no….” Meaghan said.  
“It’s ok. Only the outsides got burnt. I’m sure he won’t mind.” Darby said, taking it out of the oven and putting it in the basket. “Come on, he’s waiting.”  
They walked into the control room smiling, each holding a handle of the basket.  
“Do I smell a fire?” The Doctor asked once he noticed the girls.  
“Uh… nope!” they replied in unison.  
“The TARDIS has an oxygen field surrounding it, so as long as you’re close to the TARDIS, you won't die.” He explained as he opened the door.  
“Yes Doctor, we know….” They said in unison.  
“Right.… Well.… I’ve expanded it so we can lay the blanket out. Come on then.” He said as he walked out the door and looked around.”Oh and since its deadly cold on Pluto, I had the TARDIS change the temperature in the oxygen field.”  
“We’re on Pluto! Awesome!” Meaghan said as she stepped onto Pluto.  
The girls put the basket down and spread the blanket out in front of the TARDIS, then got everything out. Darby held out the fez and the stetson and told the Doctor to pick. He took the stetson claiming that the fez was silly. Darby put the fez on her head and sat down on the blanket.  
“Tell me your story.” The Doctor said.  
“You first. Why didn’t you let us know you were there?” Darby asked  
“What? Where? When?”  
Meaghan rolled her eyes and said, “She means, after you regenerated, you went to Victorian London, while we were there. So why didn’t you tell us you were there?”  
“That was Vastra’s idea, she thought it would be better if she explained regeneration to you before you saw me. But since she was busy with the dinosaur, and the robots, she didn’t have time to tell you. Be mad at her not me. Now, explain yourselves.”  
“Dinosaur? What dinosaur?” The girls asked him.  
The Doctor sighed and said, “I was being chased by a dinosaur. I though I managed to give it the slip, but she actually ate the TARDIS and when I materialised in Victorian London, the dinosaur came too.”  
“Where were we?” Meaghan asked, confused. She couldn’t remember any dinosaur.  
“What? Oh..right. It was after Strax ‘accidently’ let a sleeping gas grenade fall to the ground while you three were training.” Seeing their blank looks he added, “The day after you got there? The gas made you sleep for six days.”  
“Right! I remember now!” Meaghan said.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  
The Strax Incident  
\-----------------------------------------  
“Madame wants you two to train, come with me and I shall take you to the training room.” Strax said after Darby opened the door of the room she was sharing with Meaghan  
The girls followed Strax into the cellar and down the elevator, and into the training room.  
“You two against me, Begin!” Strax yelled and fired his gun at them.  
Meaghan dodged and drew her tanto. Darby drew her stun gun and shot at Strax, but missed. Meaghan drew her wakizashi and threw her tanto at the same time, the tanto just skidded off Strax’s battle armor and hit the ground at his feet. Strax grabbed a grenade and threw it at Meaghan. She dodged it but the gas coming out of it made her sleepy, and she fell to the ground. Darby saw what happened and managed to send a telepathic message to Vastra before she fell asleep  
They were asleep for six days, and woke up right in time to help Vastra and Jenny with the case.  
=====================================================================  
“Tell me how Darby saved the Master from death.” The Doctor asked  
“Okay, you want to tell it Darby?”  
“Okay, it was a long time ago, after the Time Lord council tried to bring Gallifrey back with the white point star. But you stopped them.”  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  
The Master’s ‘Death’  
\-----------------------------------------  
We hadn’t seen the Master for years, it was like he disappeared off the face of the planet. That was after the war started. We had heard rumors that the Time Lord council was trying to ‘bring Gallifrey back’, whatever that meant, but a few days later, we heard that their plan failed and they were going to execute someone. We were curious so we infiltrated the council. There, we heard them talking about the execution. They said that the Master would be punished for killing the Lord President. When it was time, we followed the executioner. After he had killed the Master, I gave up the rest of my regenerations so he could live again.  
=====================================================================  
“Cookies!” Meaghan yelled, “We forgot the cookies!”  
“You aren’t allowed to have cookies,” Darby told her, “They make you crazy.”  
“Am I not already?” Meaghan asked.  
“No you’re insane, theres a diffrence, a small one, but theres a diffrence.”  
“Not since Sketch gave me this ring.” Meaghan said as she held her hand up, to show off the braided metal ring of black, red, and blue, on her pinky finger.  
“Sketch gave that to you?” Darby asked, astonished.  
“Yeah, right after he shot me.”  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
Meaghan’s Ring  
\------------------------------------------  
“Catch her!” The Master yelled.  
Sketch turned around to see his little sister running away from his father, so he stuck his arm out and clotheslined her. Once she hit the ground she just stared up at her big brother in fear.  
“Has she lost it again?” Sketch asked his father.  
The Master sighed before saying, “That would imply she had it to begin with…. Take her to the padded room.”  
Sketch picked up Meaghan and started to walk down the hall, when his youngest sister, Darby, stepped in front of him, nearly making him trip.  
“Don’t do it big brother, please? She didn’t mean too.”  
“When you're older you will understand”  
“But she doesn't like the padded room!” Darby yelled.  
His youngest sister looked like she was going to cry, as Sketch walked past her and down the hall to the padded room. Once he put Meaghan down he looked her in the eyes and said, “I’ll find a way to fix it, don’t worry sister dear.” and left, closing the door behind him.  
A few weeks later, Meaghan lost control again, and went crazy, smashing the Master’s lab to pieces.  
“Sketch get her!” The Master yelled.  
When Sketch got close, Meaghan screamed and punched him in the face. She was only 90 years old, so she wasn’t that strong yet, and Sketch was grateful. But Sketch couldn’t get close to her so he had to shoot her with the stun gun his father used to capture people with.  
After Meaghan fell, Sketch picked her up and started to carry her out of the room when the Master said ”Thats not the way to the padded cell.”  
“She is calm now.” Sketch told him, “I’m taking her to her room.”  
“The Padded cell is her room!” The Master shouted.  
Sketch had no choice but to take her to the padded cell.  
Once he got to the padded room, he took a braided metal ring that was black red and blue, out of his pocket and put it on her pinky.  
“My mother gave me that ring, sister dear, she made it for me.  
‘Red is for courage, to never be afraid.  
Blue is for logic, to always be ahead.  
Black is for Strength, to never give in.  
Put them together, to always be kind.’  
As long as you have that ring on, sister dear, you will never lose control again, and you will never be alone.”  
“Thank you big brother.” She said before crawling to the corner and falling asleep.  
=====================================================================  
“Wow, I never thought Sketch was capable of being nice.” Darby said.  
“What did you do with the Silurians?” Meaghan asked as she opened another soda.  
“Relocated them to Sida.” The Doctor told them, in a tone of voice that implied he thought it was obvious.  
“Yeah, but how?” Darby and Meaghan said together.  
The Doctor sighed and took another gulp of soda, before starting his story.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
The Fight For Sida  
\-----------------------------------------------------  
After leaving you two with Vastra and Jenny I went back to Azza. The Silurian leader was not happy that Renalia had been shot, but he didn’t care about the dead Silurians. Tek tried to talk the leader out of killing me when Renalia limped out of the TARDIS. She said that she was never going to marry the leader and that she loved Tek, and that if anyone tried to kill me that she would kill the leader. The Leader of course was furious, and tried to stab me, so Renalia shot him. Since this was a military matter, and Renalia was the head of military matters, she was the temporary leader. After the drama, we got everyone into the TARDIS, because the angels were quickly breaking through the defenses.  
Once everyone was in, I took them to Sida, more specifically, I took them to the command room, I guess you’d call it? Well I took them to the leader of the other Silurians and Ren spoke to them and made an agreement, that Ren, and her people, would have one half of the planet, and the silurians that were already there would get the other half. I took Ren and her group of Silurians to the only other landmass on Sida, and now they are starting to build their city.  
=====================================================================  
“Is that all the questions you have?” The Doctor asked them.  
“Is that all of your questions?” The girls asked in unison.  
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’ then.” He said as he stood up and stretched.  
The girls put everything back in the picnic basket. All three of them walked back into the TARDIS and the Doctor asked, “So, where do you want to go?”  
Meaghan shrugged and put her hands in her pockets, then yelled, “I forgot to give the handcannon back to Vastra and Jenny!”  
Darby rolled her eyes and said, “They have another one, I doubt they'll miss that one. Plus, I’ve still got the stun gun.” She held it up and smiled mischievously.  
“Strax gave that to you! He hated the stun gun!” Meaghan countered.  
“He never said I could have it. Therefor, I took it.” She grinned wider and looked at the Doctor, “I’m tired. Where are the bedrooms?” She asked.  
“I haven’t made them yet. Let’s see… What do you want in them?” He asked.  
“A bathroom,” Replied Darby.  
“A wardrobe,” Said Meaghan.  
“A picture of Gallifrey if you have one….” Darby said.  
“And…” Meaghan said, thinking.  
“Bunk beds!” The girls said excitedly in unison.  
“Bunk beds?” The Doctor asked, puzzled.  
“Yeah. Bunk beds are cool!” They answered happily, “I mean, it’s a bed, with a ladder.”  
“Alright then. I’ll make them now,” He said going underneath the console, “It’s down the hall, last door on your right.” He said.  
The girls dashed away to see their new room. When they opened the door they saw a large room with bunk beds in the middle of the far wall, a door to the left (which they presumed was the bathroom), two wardrobes on either side of the bunk bed, and a mirror running along the right wall. The girls stepped onto a square, blue and red rug that went around the room. They began to wonder where the pictures of Gallifrey were when they turned around. The Doctor had not put a single picture of their home in their room. He put a whole wall full of pictures up. The Capitol, Arcadia, Olyesti, snow capped mountains, fields of red grass, silver forests, brown lakes and rivers, and the brilliant orange sky. But right in the center was the biggest of them all. There, hanging above the door, was the Shining World of the Seven Systems, floating in space with it’s two moons peeking out from behind, surrounded by stars that looked like specks in the distance. The girls stared at it for a bit then looked at each other.  
“I call the top bunk.” Meaghan said.  
“Dalek…” Darby replied stomping her foot.


	7. The Monarch Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Darby is mistaken for a queen and Meaghan is thought to be a rebel leader, the Doctor must try to figure out how to peacefully end the conflict.

Darby woke up first. She yawned, sat up, and hit her head on the top bunk. This woke Meaghan up.  
“Ow!” Darby yelled, rubbing her head.  
“What are you doing?” Meaghan asked, peering over the side.  
“I woke up, and because you called the top bunk, I hit my head.” She said laying face down on her pillow.  
“You should have called dibs first.” Meghan remarked, swinging over the side and down to the lower bunk.  
“Whatever. I’m hungry.” Darby said, her voice muffled by the pillow.  
“Me too. Let’s get something to eat, then go down and see the Doctor.” Meaghan replied getting up. After tugging Darby out of bed, they walked down the hall to the kitchen.  
Darby went to the cabinet and grabbed some colorful cereal. Meaghan grabbed the milk and the bowls. After they ate, they walked into the control room. The Doctor was underneath the console, fiddling with some wires.  
“Oh, hello girls.” He said, looking up.  
“Hello Doctor.” They said while sitting on the stairs.  
The Doctor went back to working with the wires when the girl’s noticed a pile of what seemed to be scraps.  
Having an idea, Darby said, “What’s that?” pointing at the pile.  
“Just some wires and things that I replaced.” He said without looking up.  
Meaghan, sensing what Darby was getting at, asked, “Do you... need them?”  
The Doctor stopped what he was doing and looked at them. “No. Why?” He asked.  
“Well… You’ve got a sonic screwdriver… We kinda want sonic things… Please? We can make them. We don’t need help. Please Doctor?” They pleaded together.  
He looked at their hopeful faces and sighed. “Fine. Just don’t blow anything up. It’s amazing how destructive you two can be without meaning to.”  
The girls smiled at each other, hugged the Doctor, grabbed the parts, and ran back to their room.  
Shutting the door, both girls began thinking about what they wanted to make. Meaghan seemed to have an idea and ran over to her wardrobe and began digging through the drawers. Darby, on the other hand, had no idea what she would use. Meaghan walked over with a small stopwatch on a necklace, and waited for Darby to think of something.  
“Wait….” Darby said, suddenly remembering something. She headed over to the bunk bed, where her coat was hanging, and reached into one of the pockets. She then pulled out a silver dollar. It wasn’t much, but maybe she could turn it into a sonic coin.  
She and Meaghan took the parts and walked back to the console room.  
“Doctor, I know we said we didn’t need your help but is there a way that the TARDIS can program these for us?” Darby said.  
“Go up those stairs and down the hall. Turn left and keep right. Then, enter the fifth door on your right.” he said without looking up from his work.  
“Ok! Thanks!” They shouted happily together, running the way he told them.  
They entered a room with a machine that looked somewhat like the console, in the middle. It had two trays sticking out on each side.  
“I think we put what we want to be sonic-ed in there.” Meaghan suggested. She walked to one side and put her watch necklace in the tray. It slid shut. “And then we put the parts in there.” She said pointing to the two drawers open next to the trays. She put her half in and it closed.  
Darby did the same with her’s and It slid shut while the screen in front of her lit up. She read it carefully then began to press buttons. It allowed her to design her ‘sonic coin’. She decided to replace the head on the coin with a picture of the TARDIS. Instead of the word ‘LIBERTY’ on top of it, she made it say ‘TARDIS’. On the bottom she changed ‘1972’ to ‘2014’, the year she met the Doctor. Darby replaced the saying with ‘Time And Relative Dimensions In Space’. She saved the front and then went to the back, where the eagle was, she put a picture of Gallifrey with its moons and suns. Up top she put ‘GALLIFREY’. On the bottom she put ‘SONIC COIN’. The small words right above the picture were changed to ‘DARBY’. She saved it and the machine went to work.  
Suddenly, the tray shot out. There, her silver coin lay. She picked it up and could feel that the TARDIS on the front was sticking up slightly more than it should be. She looked at the screen where a list of abilities were appearing. It said that the front picture could call the TARDIS when pressed. It also works as a key into the TARDIS. The screen also states that it works the same way as a sonic screwdriver, doing all of the same things. Darby held it tight in her hand and looked at a wire laying on the floor, willing it to cut into two. It did. Very happy with her choice, Darby walked over to see what Meaghan has done to her watch necklace.  
Meaghan looked at the screen and thought about what she wanted her necklace to look like and do. She changed the picture on the front of the cover from butterflies to ‘No’ in Gallifreyan. On the inside of the cover she put a picture of a kitten. The face of the watch was already decorated with gears and cogs, so she just changed the color from silver to copper. On the back of the watch she wrote ‘More’ in Gallifreyan. Satisfied with it she pressed a button and the machine started to work on it.  
After the tray popped out, she picked up her watch necklace and looked at the screen. Her watch necklace could tell when and where it was. The watch could also act as a compass that, when asked, would tell you how to get to where you wanted to go. It also has a connection to the TARDIS, Darby’s sonic coin, and the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver, so it would know when and where they were at any time. It could also send messages to the TARDIS.  
After Meaghan put her necklace on, she looked at Darby and asked, “Do you want to go show the Doctor?”  
“Yeah!” Darby answered excitedly.  
They ran to the console room to show the Doctor their new sonic devices. He was sitting in a chair reading a book when the girls entered.  
“So, did you make them?” He asked.  
“Yeah look!” The girls responded loudly.  
The Doctor looked up to see Darby holding out a coin, and Meaghan holding a watch attached to her neck.  
“Aren’t they cool?” They asked, giving the coin and watch to him for inspection.  
He turned each one over in his hand looking at the details. He liked the different symbols and words Darby put on her coin, but Meaghan’s was something he didn’t expect. On the front of the watch it said ‘No’ and on the back it said ‘More’. No more.  
“Meaghan, why does it say ‘No more’?” He asked.  
“Oh, right. Well when we were on Gallifrey during the time war, when we were really young, we got separated from Sketch, who was watching us at the time since he’s older. Anyway, we were running to try and find him, after we got separated by an explosion. We found a building that was almost fully collapsed, but we decided we should wait there anyway, since it was so dangerous outside. We got in and started looking around when I saw a wall with ‘NO MORE’ blasted into it. It was strange but I kind of thought it was saying that the war would soon be over. And not long after, the war did stop.” She finished saying with a smile.  
The Doctor looked at the girls for a second, remembering something. Then he pointed his sonic screwdriver at the sonic devices in his hand for a second and said, “These are very nice girls,” and gave the items back.  
Meaghan put her watch back around her neck and Darby put her coin in her pocket so she wouldn’t lose it.  
The phone started to ring and the Doctor walked over the the door, stuck his head out and reappeared with the phone.  
“Hello?” He asked the phone.  
Mumbling came from the phone.  
“Your queen?”  
More mumbling.  
“Where was she last?”  
Silence.  
“Hello?”  
More silence.  
“Hello? Anyone there?”  
Static.  
“Guess not then.” He let go of the phone and it flung itself back outside, while the Doctor went around the console pressing buttons and flipping levers.  
“Doctor,” both girls asked, “where are we going?”  
“Vegantu.”  
“Ok. Do you mind telling us why?” They said a bit annoyed.  
“Their queen went missing three days ago.”  
“W-” The girls were interrupted by a knock on the door.  
The Doctor walked out the door to see a frantic man standing there looking anxiously at him. Darby walked over to the door to see what the problem was when the man began yelling with joy.  
“Thank you, sir! You are amazingly fast at this! Thank you for bringing our queen back!” He exclaimed grabbing Darby’s arm and leading her into a car.  
“Uh, Doctor!? Let me go! Doctor!” Darby shouted, half confused and half scared. She struggled against the man but he was too strong and soon she was in a luxury car on her way to a palace in the distance.  
“Wait!” The Doctor yelled trying to catch up. The car was too fast.  
“Doctor, where are they taking her!?” Meaghan said, panicked.  
“They think Darby’s their queen….” Seeing her fear, he quickly added, “Don’t worry! We’ll find the real queen and fix this mess. She’ll be fine, Meaghan.”  
“Ok but let’s hurry.” Meaghan said.  
“There is a rebellion here. Let’s try looking at their camp.” The Doctor said.  
They left the TARDIS there and began walking to the rebel camp. Once they got close, a woman ran up to them. Expecting her to be hostile, the Doctor reached for his psychic paper. Instead, the woman seemed overjoyed.  
“You’ve found her! Our leader! Thank you, sir!” She took Meaghan and led her toward the camp. When the Doctor tried to follow, she pulled out a gun. “You’re not allowed to enter the camp. Go.”  
“Doctor!?” Meaghan said panicked. She tried to get to him but the woman was insistent that she continue walking to the camp. To make matters worse, an entire group of people came and got her while the woman stayed to make sure the Doctor left.  
“Meaghan you’ll be fine I’ll come back for you once I find the queen and the real leader!” The Doctor said. The woman aimed her gun at him and motioned for him to leave. The Doctor turned and walked back to the TARDIS to start his search.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
At the castle, Darby was being pampered. So many people were fussing over her and asking what happened and if she was hurt.  
“Are you alright, my queen?”  
“What happened?”  
“Do you need anything?”  
She kept telling them that nothing happened and she was fine but no one was listening. They especially didn’t listen when she said that she wasn’t their queen. They got her a pink silk dress and forced it on her. They put her hair up with with sparkly pink combs and dressed her in jewelry. She tried to stop them but, as usual, no one listened. Suddenly, there was a change in conversation.  
“My queen, we need a new plan of attack.” Her adviser said.  
“What?” She responded confused.  
“The rebellion, my queen. We need a new strategy or else the rebels will over power us. Especially now that we have their leader.”  
“We have their what? Right. Sorry. Yes. Um… I suggest that we stay here and await their attack.”  
“I-I’m sorry my queen? Stay here?” He said in a surprised tone.  
“Yes. If we go to them, then we will not have enough supplies. By staying here, we will have enough supplies to fight back and win.”  
“That is very wise my queen!”  
“Well, I am the perfect Strategist.”  
“Yes…. Well…. You should probably wait in your quarters then. It is not safe here.”  
“Right. I’ll go now. I can go by myself. Send the clothes I was in when I came here up immediately. And leave everything in the pockets. That’s an order.” Darby said walking to the queen’s room.  
A couple minutes later a maid came up with the clothes. She sat them on the bed and left. Darby let her hair down, took the jewelry off, and changed into her normal clothes. She took her coin out of her pocket and pressed the TARDIS. She sat there for a minute, expecting it to appear. Nothing happened. Slightly worried, she pressed it again. Nothing.   
Great. I’m stuck.   
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
Meaghan was having a far better time than Darby was. The Rebels were celebrating the return of their leader, and the capture of the Queen.   
The woman who had stayed behind to keep the Doctor away, walked up to Meaghan and asked, “Are you alright?”  
“Yeah, but I must have hit my head or something, because I don’t remember much.” Meaghan lied.  
“Ah that explains why you didn’t ask about Red right as you got back.”  
“Who’s Red?”  
The Woman sighed and stared off into the distance for a few minutes before answering.  
“Red is his nickname, his real name is Eugene, and,” she paused for a few moments, “He’s your husband.”  
“Oh, well...what happened to him?”  
“He was either taken or killed in the last raid.”  
“I see. What’s your name?”  
“Tenrique”  
“What’s the status of the rebellion?”  
Tenrique was clearly happy to talk about something else. ”We outnumber them five to one, but we need more food if we are going to last the winter. Most of our soldiers were wounded and can’t fight till the fall, but, we also captured Queen Annabelle in the last raid.”  
“Then we need to get more food. Has anyone interrogated the Queen yet?”  
“No, we were leaving that for you to do, since the Queen herself, killed your brother.”  
“Okay, what is this rebellion about?”  
“You really did hit your head didn’t you?” She sighed before saying, “Queen Annabelle started to raise taxes higher and higher each year, then if you couldn’t pay, you were killed. She’s obsessed with money, and pink.”  
“So that’s why your uniforms are yellow.”  
Tenrique laughed and said “That, and we’re the Lightning rebellion. Our motto is, ‘strike hard, strike fast.’. We also have electricity weapons.”  
“Wow.”  
Meaghan looked around the area. The camp was hidden in a fairly large crevice in a cliff facing a forest. There were always at least two guards on duty by the entrance. There were tents set up in and outside the crevice, with people in yellow uniforms everywhere. Meaghan was bored so she decided to abandon the party. She walked into the forest and climbed a tree.  
Meaghan opened her watch and asked it to send a message to the TARDIS.  
“I found the queen, she has been captured by the rebels. What do I do now?” She whispered into the watch.   
It glowed a dim blue color to signal ‘message sent’, and Meaghan closed it.  
She sent a telepathic note to Darby, telling her about what happened.  
I got mistaken for the rebel leader. I’m learning as much as I can. The Doctor couldn’t stay here. Is he with you?  
She got a reply immediately.  
Atleast you’re learning things. I can’t leave my bedroom! The Doctor isn’t here. I tried to use my coin to get the TARDIS here but for some reason it didn’t work. I’ll try to find out more information. I told the troops to stay here so that should buy you some time.  
Meaghan continued walking until she found the holding cells. There, she saw five royal guards in one cell, what looked like two servants in another, and the queen in the last cell. Upon approaching the cell, Meaghan was greeted with a glare.  
“I already told the others that I will say nothing. My royal guards are probably already looking for me!” She said, crossing her arms.  
“It seems that you haven’t taken into account that we may have sent over a decoy queen. She’s over there right now. I doubt anyone is looking for you.” Meaghan responded. “So, will you talk to me now?”  
The queen stayed silent but Meaghan could tell that there would be no more protest.  
“Right. Now, why exactly did you raise the taxes?” She asked.  
“I needed more money.”  
“For what?”  
“For arms, armor, and the welfare of our troops, which keep us protected from any invasions.”  
“Then why are the people saying that you executed anyone who didn’t wear pink?”  
“That’s what they choose to believe. I made a law that every Wednesday the citizens had to wear pink to raise more money. And if they didn’t, they would pay a fine. A few citizens believed that they shouldn’t have to do this, and revolted. They burnt buildings, graffitied walls, and attacked the troops. They had no choice but to defend themselves and the citizens from these terrorists. Nobody really wanted to see that they were causing the trouble, hence the civil war.”  
“Why would you kill people for not paying taxes when you are so desperate to build an army? Why not just conscript them?”  
“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that.”  
“And you’re the Queen?”  
The only response Meaghan got was a glare.  
Meaghan left the holding cells, went back to the forest, and climbed another tree.  
-=-=-=-=-=--=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
Darby looked around the room for any ways out besides the door. The only other exit was a balcony. Darby put her foot on the railing and began climbing down the palace. Carefully, she looked through each window for a way down to the dungeons. Finally, she found a staircase leading down in one of the many hallways. She quietly opened the window and climbed in. She crept down the stairs and grabbed a torch that was on the wall. She walked along the cells. In the first few were rebel soldiers and messengers. She walked to the end cell to find someone who looked very similar to Meaghan. She took out her sonic coin and unlocked the cell door. The rebel leader turned to look at her.  
“Hello. Before you say anything, I am not the queen. My name is Darby, and yours is?” Darby said, stepping into the cell.  
“How do I know you’re not lying? You look just like the queen. The only difference is your clothes.” The leader replied.  
“That is actually quite smart, not trusting everyone you meet. But then again, why would I have opened the cell if I didn’t trust you?” Darby remarked.  
“It could be a trap.”  
“Or I could simply be telling the truth.”  
“Prove it.”  
“Let’s do this instead.” Darby turned, closed the cell door, and locked it with her coin. “Now, I don’t know if that’s convinced you but I just locked myself in here with you. If I wasn’t 100% confident, why would I do that?” She said, placing the coin in her pocket and sitting down.  
“Just because you’re confident, doesn’t mean I am.”  
“Then I guess we’ll just sit here until you decide to talk to me. Honestly, all I want to do is stop the fighting and get you back to your friends safely.”  
The rebel just stared at her like she was insane.  
“Okay. Fine. We’ll do it your way.” Darby leaned back against the door and stared back at the leader.  
A few minutes had passed when Darby got a telepathic message from Meaghan.  
I fell out of a tree! There was a spider by my head and I freaked, and now my arm hurts really bad….  
Wait why were you in a tree in the first place!?  
Uhh… I like climbing trees?  
You’d think you would be able to withstand falling from a tree. Guess not. Try calling the Doctor. I’ll try getting the TARDIS here.  
Hey! My arm still hasn’t fully healed yet! I think it’s bleeding again, but I can’t tell, it’s too dark in this forest.  
Alright just don’t move. Try to wrap something around it to stop the possible bleeding.  
Okay, should I cut off the blood circulation with my tie?  
No! Just add pressure! Do NOT cut off the circulation to your arm!  
Yes ma’am... I’ll try and find something… Oh and did you talk to the leader yet?  
I was trying until you interrupted me with your tree incident.  
“Right, now this is getting us nowhere and my sister needs help. You want proof? Here.” She took out the coin and pressed the TARDIS, willing it to come this time. Sure enough, the TARDIS began materializing around them. The Doctor was by the control panel. “Doctor, Meaghan’s hurt. She fell out of a tree.”  
“I already know about Meaghan. I have my sonic screwdriver linked to your sonic coin and necklace. It tells me where you are and when you’re hurt.”  
“Alright. Oh and this is the rebel leader. Still don’t know her name. She wouldn’t tell me.”  
The Doctor looked over at the leader and said “Her names Abigale, I talked with her husband earlier. Oh, and he’s fine by the way, just a minor concussion, two broken bones, and a fractured rib.”  
“Fine?!” Abigale yelled, “You think that’s fine!?”  
“Well it’s not like he’s dead or anything. You should be grateful.” The Doctor said as he started to flip levers and press buttons.  
They materialised around Meaghan, who was trying to climb the tree again.  
“Aww, I wanted to get revenge on that evil spider…” Meaghan mumbled.  
Darby rolled her eyes, “The spider is not evil. The tree is it’s home. It was your fault that you fell.”  
“No, the spider IS evil! Why else would it make me fall?! It should be melted with acid for making me fall!”  
“Okay. Let’s go pick up Queen Annabelle.” The Doctor said, putting the debate to an end.  
The TARDIS materialised around Annabelle and Abigale stood up, ready to attack. Darby went over and stood in her way.  
“Don’t you dare or you are going back in that dungeon.” She said.  
Abigale sat back down. Annabelle looked around for a minute, trying to comprehend what had just happened. She saw Abigale and backed up slightly.  
“Don’t worry. No one is fighting in here. Got it?” Meaghan said.  
Annabelle and Abigale both nodded, still unsure of what is happening.  
“I just have a question.” Annabelle said, “Why are there two of you?” She pointed at Meaghan and Abigale.  
“Doppelgangers, everyone has one. A person who looks like them, might even sound like them, but they have different personalities.” The Doctor explained. “You two are going to make a treaty.”  
“I will not!” Shouted Abigale.  
“Nor will I!” Replied Annabelle.  
“I thought this would take some time. So until you can agree to make a treaty, Darby and Meaghan will continue playing your roles.” The Doctor said.  
“What?!” The girls exclaimed, suddenly showing interest.  
“You two need to keep the peace while they make the treaty. We can’t have the people fighting because their leaders are missing again.”  
“Fine.” Both girls said.  
“Meaghan, let me see your arm before I drop you off.” Meghan went over to let him examine it. “It’s just a sprain. You’ll be fine. No more climbing trees. Also, keep everyone away from the cells. We don’t want them noticing that their most important prisoner is gone.”  
Meaghan nodded and opened the TARDIS door. She walked out into the rebel camp where multiple people were waiting by a fire. The Doctor then went to the Queen’s room in the palace.  
“Darby, stay in your room. If that’s where they want you, then you need to stay there. I doubt Annabelle here would be climbing down buildings.”  
Darby sadly nodded and walked out into the room. Sat on the bed and glared at the TARDIS as it disappeared. With nothing to do, she decided to look around the room. There was a vanity in the corner with makeup of all colors piled high. Since she couldn’t do anything else, she decided to try finger painting. Grabbing all of the makeup and laying it out on the floor, she began drawing on the biggest canvas she could find, the wall. She decided to draw the TARDIS. She grabbed the blue makeup and went to work.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
Meaghan sat down on a log near the fire.  
“Ma’am, what should we do?” A nearby rebel asked her.  
Meaghan faked a yawn and said, “It’s getting late, I’m tired, I’ll tell you in the morning.”  
Tenrique handed Meaghan a box of marshmallows and a sharpened stick.  
After about 12 roasted marshmallows, Meaghan got tired and went to her tent.  
The next morning there was a meeting.  
“Ma’am, our troops won’t be able to fight till the spring.” A female rebel to Meaghan’s left said.  
“But we don’t have enough food to last the fall!” A male to her right shouted.  
This had been going on all morning, and Meaghan was getting a headache.  
“Shut up!” Meaghan yelled. “I will take care of the food problem-”  
“We also need medicine!” A rebel interrupted.  
“I will take care of it!” Meaghan shouted. “Now, shut up before I kill you all for being annoying. Everyone should just relax, keep patrolling, heal, and just wait.”  
“But ma’am-” Tenrique began.  
“I will handle it! For now, we do not attack. We do not go anywhere. Focus on finding food and healing the injured. I am going to my tent.” Meaghan stood up and started to walk away. Suddenly, she turned around. “Oh, and no one goes to the holding cells. That’s an order.” Meaghan went into her tent and closed her eyes.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
Darby stood up and admired her work. She had painted the TARDIS with the Doctor, Meaghan, and herself standing in front of it. Suddenly, the door opened. Her advisor stepped in.  
“My queen,” he bowed, “the rebel forces have not made any moves. We suspect that they are out of supplies. Should we advance forward to end this?”  
“No.” Darby said, gathering up the makeup to start another picture.  
“But they are weak. This would be the id-”  
“I know. And my answer is no. Stay here. Don’t go anywhere. Keep everyone in the castle. And absolutely no one is to enter the dungeons.” She said without looking at him.  
“My queen, I urge you t-”  
“No.” She cut him off, starting her new picture of a flower.  
Her advisor stared in disbelief, then departed. She heard him go down the stairs and tell someone, she presumed it was the head of the guards. The head of the guards shouted something, Darby couldn’t hear what, and went stomping downstairs. Darby continued painting with the makeup. Her flower was almost done when she heard the rallying of troops and a soft click of the bedroom door. Bolting to the door first, she tried to open it. Locked. She ran to the balcony just in time to see about 2,000 men marching in the direction of the rebel camp. She ran back to the door and began kicking and pounding on it. Something or someone was holding it shut so she couldn’t break the lock.  
“LET ME OUT!!!” Darby screamed at the top of her lungs.  
The voice of her advisor answered, “You are not our queen. We will deal with you after we win this war.”  
Darby pounded on the door trying to overpower whatever was holding it shut. She knew it was no use. She wasn’t strong enough. Instead, Darby sent a message to Meaghan.  
I tried to stop the royal army, but they figured out I wasn’t the queen. Get ready! They’re coming! I’ll get there as soon as I can. Are you able to send a message to the Doctor?  
Darby got no reply. She ran to the balcony and began climbing down the wall. She reached the ground and ran to the edge of the palace. Peaking around the corner, she saw the troops were barely visible. Darby took a quick look around to make sure the coast was clear, then darted after them, hiding behind trees every so often. She just hoped that Meaghan was ok.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
Meaghan was almost asleep when she got Darby’s message.   
Cursing her bad luck she opened her necklace and asked it to send a message to the Doctor she almost shouted, “Doctor! The queen's army figured out Darbys not their queen, now they are marching to the camp! We don’t have enough able bodied people to fight. It’s going to be a massacre! What should I do?!”  
The face of the watch glowed a dim blue to signal ‘message sent’ and Meaghan closed it. She ran out of her tent and found Tenrique standing by a tree.  
“Tenrique! The queen’s army is coming. Get some people to help move the wounded into the crevice, take down some of the camp to look like we moved in a hurry, and trash up the camp a little. Then everyone should hide in the crevice before the queen’s army arrives.” Meaghan ordered her.  
“I know you’re not Abigale, but thats actually a good plan.” Tenrique said before running to do what Meaghan ordered.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
Darby sprinted faster than she ever had before. She decided to use trees as cover so that she wouldn’t be spotted. She was about a mile ahead of the army when she reached the camp. She looked around. No one was there. The place was trashed. The tents were packed up, the fire was no longer going, and there wasn’t a person in sight. Darby got very scared.  
“MEAGHAN!?” Darby shouted. There was no response. “MEAGHAN!!!!”  
Darby was met with a gun pointed at her, “We were alerted that your royal troops are headed over here. I never expected you to come.” He cocked the gun.  
“No, wait. I’m not the queen. My sister, Meaghan. She’s here.” Darby said all of this in a rush.  
“Likely story.” He scoffed.  
“Wait! Don’t shoot her! She’s telling the truth!” Tenrique yelled as she ran over to them. “Look at her! She doesn’t have green eyes.”  
“Fine.” The man said, as he lowered his gun.  
Tenrique grabbed both of them and pulled them into the crevice, just before the front line of the queen’s army appeared in the tree line.  
She led them through dark tunnels until they were in a large dimly lit cavern, filled with people. Meaghan ran over to meet them, she was carrying a bundle of cloth.  
“Here Darby, wear this.” Meaghan said as she shoved the cloth into Darby’s arms.  
Darby put the hooded robe on and pulled the hood up so it covered her face.  
“Meaghan, I’m sorry. I tried to get them to stay there but they figured out that I wasn’t the queen! They even locked me in the room!”

“It’s fine, Darby. We’re just lucky that I’m half strategist. Now come on, and be quite.”  
Darby followed along silently. Meaghan led her into another cave filled with people. The cave was dark. Meaghan went over to a corner and sat down, motioning for Darby to sit next to her. Tenrique sat across from them and they sat in silence. There was no noise in the cave. Suddenly, the roof of the cave started shaking. Small rocks and dust were falling and they could all hear the soldiers marching. The soldiers were searching the camp, they could tell. After about ten minutes, everything went quiet.  
“Have they gone?” Meaghan whispered to Darby.  
Darby shook her head slowly, “No. No good army would leave that quickly. They are searching for escape routes. Are there other, more visible caves?” Darby asked quickly.  
“No….” Meaghan said, looking scared.  
“Then we should get everyone armed with whatever we have.” No one moved. They all seemed to look at her without hope. “Now! Go!” She shouted, making everyone jump.  
“Wait! I still have the handcannon! Tenrique and I could hold the entrance easily.” Meaghan said. While running with Tenrique to the mouth of the crevice she opened her watch necklace and said “Send a message to the Doctor, Doctor we need help! The soldiers are here, and the’re going to find us at any min- never mind, they’ve already found us!”  
Meaghan ducked as a bullet zoomed past her head. She closed her watch and used her left hand to steady her handcannon as she fired at the oncoming soldiers.  
Meaghan fired as Tenrique was reloading, and Tenrique fired when Meaghan was. Meaghan wasn’t really aiming at anyone, she just wanted to scare them off.  
After a few minutes Meaghan heard a familiar sound, and asked Darby telepathically if the Doctor was there. Once she got a reply she told Tenrique to back up and she shot at the roof of the cave to make some large rocks fall, then she and Tenrique ran back to the cavern with all the people.  
In the center of the cavern was a blue police telephone box, that all the people were walking single file into.  
“How are they all fitting in there?” Tenrique asked.  
“It’s bigger on the inside.” Meaghan answered.  
After everyone was inside the TARDIS, the Doctor flew to a safe place deep in a forest, nowhere near the queens army.  
“Doctor! Thanks for saving us.” Darby and Meaghan said in unison.  
“I leave you alone for five minutes….” The Doctor said, shaking his head. “Abigale and Annabelle are locked up in a spare room with Sketch.”  
“Sketch?!” The girls asked.  
“Yes, Sketch.Your big brother?”  
“We know who he is. We just thought you didn’t like him.”  
“He owes me a favor.”  
The girls stood in confused silence until Sketch walked over and told the Doctor something. The Doctor nodded and followed Sketch back the way he came. The girls followed at a distance, hiding behind walls. They came to a door and Sketch unlocked it and led the Doctor inside. After the Doctor and Sketch entered the room, the girls heard the door lock. Meaghan walked over to the door and tried to listen in.  
“They have come to an agreement.” That was obviously Sketch.  
“And that agreement is?” The Doctor asked.  
“Well, the queen will abolish the wearing pink law, keep taxes at a steady rate and release all rebels, while the rebels will stop all fighting and release all loyalists.”  
“Okay. Lets have them call a meeting then.” The Doctor left the room. The girls scrambled back to the control room as fast as they could and sat in the chairs. He walked to the door and opened it for Abigale and Annabelle. Sketch followed and then the girls came out.  
“Nice to see you.” Sketch said nonchalantly to Meaghan and Darby.  
“Hey. So how’s life in London?” They asked together.  
“Okay I guess. I got a job as an assassin so its been pretty much the same.” When the girls gave him a horrified look he added, “Don’t give me those looks. I only accept jobs for people who actually deserve it. Like Vastra does.” The girls relaxed at hearing this.  
Abigale called the attention of her army. Everyone quieted down at once.  
“Queen Annabelle and I have come to an agreement! In return for stopping all fighting and releasing our prisoners, she will get rid of the Pink Law, keep the taxes at a constant rate, and she will release all of her prisoners. The war stops here!” The crowd cheered, hugging each other and rejoicing.  
“How are we telling my troops?” The queen asked. As soon as she said that, a large group of people were seen in the horizon headed their way.  
“Guess we won’t have to worry about that…. Annabelle, do you mind standing in front so that they don’t fire?” Meaghan and Darby asked.  
“Not at all.” Annabelle walked about ten feet in front of them and stood there to wait. When the troops got to about twenty feet away from her, she began to speak. “The war is over! Put down your weapons! We have come to an agreement and there shall be no more fighting!” Her words took a couple minutes to register, but when they did, all of the weapons dropped. One person came running out of the army to the queen.  
“My Queen!” It was the advisor.  
“Hello Frederick.” She said looking a bit annoyed.  
“Are you alright!? We were certain you were hurt! And then an impost-” He froze when he saw Darby standing next to Meaghan.  
Darby waved, “Hello... Frederick is it? Sorry about the walls by the way. I got extremely bored.”  
Frederick pulled a pistol out of his pocket and pointed at Darby’s head. “You! You will pay for impersonating the Queen!”  
Slightly shocked, Darby said calmly, “You won’t kill me.”  
“W-what!?”  
“You’ve never killed anyone in your life. I can tell that you’re scared. You're not about to become a killer today.”  
“Yes. True. But I’ve wounded people.” He pointed the gun at Darby’s leg. He was about to pull the trigger when Sketch intercepted.  
In the three seconds it took for Frederick to point the gun at Darby’s leg, Sketch was behind him, disarming him, and putting a knife to his throat. Frederick stood dead still and his face turned pale.  
Sketch whispered in a dangerous tone, “No one, hurts my little sister. You got that?” He pushed Frederick to the ground and walked over to Darby to make sure she wasn’t hurt. “Are you alright?” When she nodded he added, “You need to be more careful.”  
The army general came and got Frederick, leading his troops back to the palace along with the ex-rebels. Annabelle and Abigale thanked them and then walked back, together.  
“Sketch, I assume you’ll need a ride home?” The Doctor asked.  
“Yeah….” Sketch replied.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
After dropping Sketch off, the girls were tired. They said goodnight to the Doctor and went to their room. They shut out the lights and laid in bed for a while without saying anything.  
“Darby?” Meaghan asked.  
“Yeah?”  
“Sketch was right. You need to be more careful. We can’t have close calls like that anymore.” She said.  
Darby laughed, “You two worry too much. I’ll be fine. And besides, traveling with the Doctor? It’s never gonna be safe. That’s what makes it fun I suppose.”  
Meaghan considered this, “Just… promise me you’ll be more cautious with your surroundings and know when you need to back down and let the Doctor or I handle it. Okay?”  
“Says the person who climbed a tree and fell out. Okay. I promise.” Darby said.  
Meaghan accepted this answer. She closed her eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.  
Darby looked around the room at the pictures and smiled to herself. She slowly closed her eyes. Her fingers uncrossed as she fell asleep.


	8. Little Drummer Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas with the Paternoster Gang!

Darby and Meaghan found some tinsel and Christmas lights in a bin in a small closet. They grabbed the tinsel and wrapped most of it around themselves. They carried the lights over to the stairs leading to the console, set them down, then creeped over to the Doctor, each with a strand of tinsel in their hands.  
Jumping on top of him, they shouted, “MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!” And wrapped the tinsel around him.  
Confused, the Doctor looked at them for a minute, unsure of how to react. “Uh, what? I- I don’t understa-” He stuttered.  
“It’s Christmas! Can we decorate the console room!?” They shouted.  
“Um…okay? But we’re in the TARDIS, how can you tell what day it is?” He asked.  
“We’re guessing by the amount of time we’ve spent going places and in here. Our calculations add up that it’s Christmas.” The girls explained in unison, running around stringing up lights. "Besides, this is a time machine, it's Christmas anytime we want!"  
Darby stepped back, admiring their work, when she remembered something. She looked at Meaghan, who was thinking the same thing. They sprinted off and came back in ten minutes dragging a large metal tree. They put it up where the Doctor usually had a blackboard and a chair. They ran around it, stringing up lights and tinsel, with the Doctor watching silently. The Doctor went to the door, opened a chest next to it, and pulled out a glowing star. Since none of them could reach the top of the huge tree Darby and Meaghan built, the Doctor lifted Meaghan up so that she could place the star on the top. Smiling, they all stepped back and admired their work.  
“Can we spend Christmas with Vastra, Jenny, and Strax? They love when we visit.” The girls gave their best smiles and tried to look the most innocent they’ve ever been.  
“Alright. I guess we can pay them a visit. I don’t think Vastra would mind.” He said walking over to the console. He walked around flipping levers and pressing buttons. With a loud wheezing noise and a lot of shaking, the TARDIS landed in Victorian London.  
Vastra, Jenny, and Strax must have heard the TARDIS, because when the Doctor opened the door, they were walking out to see him.  
“Doctor,” Vastra said stopping in front of him, “what brings you by?”  
“The girls wanted to spend Christmas with you,” He said stepping out, followed by Darby and Meaghan.  
“Ah! Young females! How are you?” Strax yelled rather loudly, approaching them.  
“Strax, we are way older than you.” They both said together.  
“Well you look young. Come! Let’s go play with grenades!” He said, leading the girls away.  
After they left earshot, Vastra turned to the Doctor. “Doctor, I hate to bring this up I really do, but is it really wise to continue traveling with those two?”  
“What do you mean?” The Doctor asked.  
“Well, considering,” She lowered her voice, “what happened. I’m just wondering if it’s the right choice for you to continue having them around.”  
“They’re just children. And they were being controlled. I mean, it is a lot like you bringing Amalexia in.”  
“Amalexia was different, she was simply a product. And they just said that they are way older than Strax. That does not make them children.”  
“Gallifreyan children.”  
“If I may add,” Jenny cut in, “Ma’am, the Doctor did trust you after you began killing innocent tunnel diggers in the London underground. And Strax wasn’t the best before he owed the Doctor a favor. Now look at both of you.”  
“She has a point Vastra.” The Doctor looked around and added, “Shouldn’t we get inside, out of this snow?”  
“Oh alright. But I’ll be keeping my eye on them.” Vastra added, leading the way into the parlor.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
The girls were already in there with Strax, admiring the decorations. Strax kept complaining about how foolish and boring everything was, and how he just wanted to go downstairs and blow things up. The girls shushed him and continued gazing at the decorations around the room.  
“So what do you girls want to do?” Jenny asked. “We can go sledding, or bake cookies, anything you want.” She gave a look to Vastra to make sure she wasn’t giving rude looks to the girls.  
“We really didn’t think of that. We just wanted to spend Christmas with you guys. By the way, where’s Amalexia?”  
Right then, a six foot girl in a black and white dress came running towards them. She scooped them both up and hugged them a little too tightly.  
Unable to breath, Meaghan said, “Hug me any harder and I’ll regenerate.”  
“Oh! Sorry, sorry! Hello sisters! Oh! The regeneration! I can’t do that. We thought I could, but I can’t! I know because I got shot with one of Strax's weapons while downstairs once!” She said this very quickly, while rolling up her sleeve to show where exactly Strax had shot her.  
“Oh… Wonderful….” The girls said trying to sound interested.  
“Amalexia, why don’t you take the girls outside. You can play in the snow. There is a hill back there too. You know where the sleds are.” Jenny said.  
Amalexia’s face lit up. She turned to the girls, “Do you want to build a snowman?” She asked excitedly.  
“Yeah!” They both shouted.  
Jenny stopped all three of them. “You three need coats. In the closet. Go.”  
“I don’t need one!” Darby said happily, pulling one side of her trenchcoat up to show how thick it was. She skipped merrily outside before anyone could stop her.  
Meaghan tried to protest but Jenny made her get a coat anyway. They walked outside and were closely pursued by Strax.  
“I want to come! I can throw grenades at these ‘snowmen’!” He ran after them with a bag full of what Meaghan assumed were grenades. Moments later there was a loud boom outside and all the girls were yelling at Strax.  
“Vastra, you need to stop with the looks of disapproval. Give them a chance.” The Doctor said.  
“I want to be sure that nothing will happen.” Vastra replied.  
“Just be glad Sketch isn’t here.”  
At that moment there was a knock on the door. Jenny walked to the door and returned with a surprised but happy look on her face. Behind her, Sketch sauntered in. He stood in front of the Doctor and Vastra and bowed deeply. Vastra looked at the Doctor then looked back at the bowing Sketch.  
“You know, the polite thing to do would be to bow and curtsy back.” He said straightening. “I saw the TARDIS and decided to see my sisters for Christmas. That alright Doctor?” He asked, though he already knew the answer.  
“No. You know I don’t want you around.” The Doctor replied.  
“Oh come now, surely I can see my own sisters. I’m sure they want to see me too. I’ll only be a moment.”  
The Doctor looked hesitant but then turned to Jenny, “Jenny, can you go get Meaghan and Darby?”  
“Of course.” She said, hurrying to the door. A moment later she appeared, followed by the two girls.  
Not noticing Sketch, the girls walked over to the Doctor, waiting for the explanation he had for calling them inside. The Doctor gave them a nod indicating that they should turn around. When they did, they saw a smiling Sketch standing in front of them.  
“Hello sisters of mine. How have you been? I hope he’s been treating you well.” He  
gave a nod towards the Doctor.  
“Sketch!” They shouted together. They both ran up and hugged him. This earned them a disapproving sigh from Vastra.  
The siblings stood there hugging for a few minutes. The Doctor had not been expecting this reaction and was slightly surprised by it. Jenny seemed happy with the family reunion. The girls suddenly turned to the Doctor.  
“Can Sketch spend Christmas with us? Please? Pretty please?” They pleaded. They gave their sweetest smiles and looked as innocent as they possibly could.  
“I don’t -” The Doctor began before he was interrupted by the girls.  
“No one should be alone on Christmas.” They said together, now looking as sad as they possibly could.  
Sketch was standing in the back quietly, simply observing, when he spoke up, “You know, I’ve made some money. I could even go out and buy dinner.” He persuaded.  
“I mean… it’s Vastra’s house. It’s up to her.” The Doctor said.  
The girls immediately turned to Vastra and gave their best puppy dog eyes. Sketch smiled at her.  
“Those looks won’t work on me girls. You can stop the act.” She said to Meaghan and Darby.  
They then turned to Jenny, who was standing behind them. Sketch tried to give his best smile while the girls flashed their puppy eyes. Jenny immediately gave Vastra a look that basically said for her to allow Sketch to stay.  
Vastra sighed, “Fine. But you cause one problem and you’re leaving.”  
“Yes! Come on let’s go outside!” Meaghan and Darby shouted, grabbing Sketch’s hands and dragging him out. Seconds later they heard a grenade go off along with Sketch and Strax laughing and the girls yelling at them.  
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  
“Guys! I have an idea!” Darby yelled.  
“Uh-oh.” Sketch joked.  
“Come on, get a handful of snow, be really quiet, and follow me.” Darby made a snowball and hid by the door.   
“I need someone to call someone outside.” Darby whispered.  
Meaghan walked to the center of the yard, faced the door, and yelled, “Doctor! Come see the snowman!”  
Seconds later the Doctor appeared at the door. Looking around, he called out, “Where is it?”  
“Attack!” Darby yelled, throwing her snowball. Meaghan, Sketch, Amalexia, and Strax, who had about 10, all fired at once. Everyone but Strax had run out of snowballs. He was still making more and firing them.  
“Strax….” Meaghan said, “We’re done.”  
“We are not done until the enemy surrenders!” Strax shouted, throwing more snowballs.  
“Strax, stop.” Darby said, fearing the Doctor would get angry with the extra snowballs.  
“Fine, but this is not over!” He said, dropping the snowballs.  
The Doctor frowned and said, “Why did you call me?”  
“Well, I had to call someone out, and it would not be a good idea to throw snowballs at Vastra, and Vastra might kill us for throwing snow at Jenny. So really, it had to be you.” Meaghan explained.  
The Doctor gave a small smile at this and turned to walk inside when suddenly he turned around and fired a snowball at Darby. Without saying another word, he walked inside.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
“You’re covered in snow.” Vastra said as the snow covered Doctor appeared in the doorway.  
“There is a snowball war going on outside and I was ambushed.” He said with a small laugh.  
“Doctor can you go back out there and tell them I’ve made hot chocolate?” Jenny called from the kitchen.  
“If I get attacked again it’s on you.” He called back, walking outside.  
He appeared again with more snow on him this time followed by the five children, equally coated with snow. Meaghan led the way, running into the dining room with the rest following her.  
“See, children.” The Doctor remarked, standing next to Vastra again.  
“If you say so.” She answered, though not seeming convinced. They walked into the dining room and sat down with the rest.  
“Do you want to build igloos next?” Amalexia asked.  
“Are those more targets?” Strax asked, getting excited.  
“No, Strax. They’re houses made out of snow.” Meaghan and Darby said together.  
“How are you guys still able to do that?” Sketch asked.  
“Talk at the same time? No idea.” They both said in unison.  
Vastra looked at the Doctor, questioning this, but he didn’t catch her gaze. He had not thought of this before. They shouldn’t have been able to do it anymore.  
Maybe they’ve just been spending too much time together, he thought.  
“So, what is this ‘holiday’?” Strax asked.  
“You don’t know what Christmas is!?” Meaghan and Darby asked, astonished.  
“I guess we never explained the concept to him.” Jenny said.  
“You’ve never explained it to me either.” Amalexia remarked.  
“We’ll explain it to you!” Darby and Meaghan both shouted.  
“It’s my favorite holiday!” Darby exclaimed.  
“I prefer Halloween.” Meaghan told them.  
“So basically,” They began, “from what we know, every year on December 24th, you put a tree up with ornaments and tinsel. Then, everyone goes to bed and their parents or guardians or whatever,” they looked at the Doctor when they said this, “put presents under the tree and say that a mythical being called Chris Kringle broke into the house and put them there. There is also a religious side but we won’t explain that.”  
“How do you two know this stuff?” The Doctor asked.  
“We lived, on earth, in an orphanage, for twelve years.” They explained.  
“Oh, right.” The Doctor said.  
“This ‘Chris Kringle’ - ” Amalexia began.  
“He’s more commonly known as Santa,” Darby and Meaghan said.  
“Oh, okay. So this ‘Santa’ breaks into your house - ”  
“Through the chimney.”  
“ - and leaves gifts under a tree? Why?” Amalexia asked.  
“We think that it’s because the parents need a reason to spoil their kids without the kids expecting it all the time. Do you get it Strax?”  
“So the humans worship this ‘Santa’?” He asked.  
“Sort of,” They said.   
“Santa. Ha!” Amalexia laughed “What a funny name.”  
“Santa...ha, Santa-Ha! Santa-Ha! Santa-Ha!” Strax started shouting  
“Great. Now you’ve gotten him riled up.” Vastra said, sighing.  
“I think he had too much hot chocolate!” Sketch laughed.  
“Dinner is going to be ready in about an hour, why don’t you go outside and get your energy out.” Jenny said, cleaning up the mugs.  
Strax ran out first, grenade in hand. The girls ran after him to get him to stop. Sketch calmly walked outside behind them. Seconds later there was a loud bang and multiple screams from the girls, while Sketch was laughing hysterically.  
The Doctor got up from the table and started to walk towards the door.  
“Doctor, where are you going?” Vastra asked.  
“To get the girls’ presents.” He replied, heading out the door.  
-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  
By the time dinner was ready, the girls had built seven igloos. Three of which, Strax had blown up. They were finishing their eighth and biggest igloo when they realized that they had forgotten to place a snow brick on the very top. None of them could reach it and Amalexia had gone inside to help Jenny with dinner.   
“Maybe I can pick Darby up and she can put it on?” Sketch suggested.  
“It’s obviously ruined. Let’s just blow it up!” Strax demanded.  
“No we can get it.” Darby and Meaghan insisted. They both stared at the final brick on the ground. Suddenly, it began to float. Gradually it got higher and higher until it was the height of the hole. The girls moved it over slightly so that it glided straight into the empty space.  
“Ah so you can do that still. I was wondering if you could.” Sketch said.  
Vastra had been watching through the window and saw it. She would be sure to tell the Doctor what she saw.  
“Dinner is ready!” Amalexia called out the door.  
They all ran in and were about to sit down when Jenny stopped them.  
“Go wash your hands.” She said, pointing to the bathroom.  
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
After dinner the children sat near the tree. As it turns out, Vastra and Jenny had bought Amalexia two gifts. She unwrapped the red and green paper to reveal two brand new katanas one of them wooden and the other real. She picked them up and swung them around a few times then sat down. The Doctor walked in through the front door with four wrapped presents. He handed Darby and Meaghan two each. They both had a long box and a small box. Deciding to unwrap the long boxes first, they began tearing into the colorful paper. They both contained wooden bo-staffs, Darby’s was blue and Meaghan’s was red. Next, they picked up the smaller boxes. Darby opened hers to find a silver bracelet with a large, hollow circle shape in it.  
“Oh!” Darby said after staring at it for a minute. Jamming her hand deep into her pocket, she found her sonic coin. Pulling it out, she placed it neatly in the hole with the TARDIS button facing up. The bracelet suddenly tightened around the coin to ensure it didn’t fall out. Darby put it on her right wrist and it tightened so that it wouldn’t slip off. “Thanks!”  
“I figured It would be easier than carrying it around,” The Doctor said.  
Meaghan opened hers and a robotic kitten the size of a baseball pounced at her face, “Awwwww! It’s adorable!”  
“ I thought you’d like it. Just make sure you watch her.” The Doctor said.  
“What are you naming her?” Darby asked, stroking the kitten.  
“How about… Schmetterling?” Meaghan asked.  
“Butterfly?” Darby asked.  
“In German,” Meaghan pointed out.  
“It’s your cat.” Darby replied.  
“It may change.”  
“Won’t you confuse her if you do that?”  
“She’s a robot, she’s way smarter than you.”  
“Thanks,” Darby said with a laugh.  
“What? Oh sorry, no insult intended.”  
“It’s fine. Want to go spar in the training room?”  
“Yeah! Amalexia, do you want to come?”  
“Of course!” Amalexia replied, leading the way downstairs.  
The girls followed her with Schmetterling prancing close behind. Strax came running after them with grenades in hand, but he was quickly told to put them away or not to come at all. Sketch followed, sauntering out of the room.  
“Doctor, I need to speak with you about what I saw the girls do in the yard,” Vastra said.  
“Vastra, you need to trust them a little. I’m sure what you saw was nothing,” The Doctor replied.  
“They can still levitate things,” Vastra said.  
This took the Doctor off guard, “What?” He said.  
“They were building an igloo and they levitated a block into a hole on the top.” She replied.  
“They shouldn’t be able to do that anymore…”  
“That’s why I’m concerned. Do you think they aren’t telling you something?”  
“No. I’m sure they would tell me if they felt anything.”  
“Are you sure? Because they should not be able to do it anymore if the signal was enabling them to levitate things.”  
“No. The shock that Darby shot Meaghan and Sketch with got rid of the connection.”  
“Wait, you just said that Meaghan and Sketch were disconnected. Darby was never shot with the stun gun while being controlled. That means she could still have the connection. Maybe only one of them needs it to be able to levitate and talk at the same time.” Vastra said, realising how obvious this was. “Doctor, you need to do something about this soon.”  
“I’m not going to shoot her, Vastra. And they aren’t doing anything that would show signs of the Master still being alive, so why do I need to do anything?”  
“What if they don’t show signs until it’s too late? What will you do then?” She looked him in the eyes. “All I’m saying, is you’d better be careful around them. Especially since we’ve discovered this.” Vastra walked off to the kitchen to talk to Jenny.  
The Doctor decided to go down into the training room. When he got there, he saw Darby and Meaghan standing next to each other with their staffs ready, facing Amalexia and Strax who each had wooden katanas. Suddenly, Amalexia ran forward at Meaghan. She swung it down above Meaghan’s head, but was blocked with Darby’s staff. Meaghan ran over to Strax and started trying to knock the katana out of his hand. The Doctor saw Sketch in the corner watching the fight, yelling out instructions to Darby. The Doctor stood in the doorway to watch.  
“Darby you have to find her pressure points!” Sketch yelled. “Don’t stay in one spot! Keep moving! You’re small and agile so you can jump in and out!”  
Darby seemed to have enough of this and yelled back, “Sketch, I am a strategist! I clearly know how to take someone down! Now PLEASE, if you want to help, yell out attack moves rather than where to go and what to hit! Otherwise, SHUT UP!”  
Sketch seemed to hear this, but ignored it. He continued yelling out things to do until she finally grabbed something out of her pocket and threw it at him. She regretted doing that because in the instant it took for her to do that, Amalexia had knocked her on her back. She brought her katana down and Darby rolled out of the way, sweeping Amalexia down as she went.  
As Meaghan swung her staff at Strax’s side, he swung his katana at her arm. Meaghan ducked and headbutted Strax, knocking him to the ground. Rolling over him and to her feet, Meaghan spun around and swung her bo-staff at Strax’s midsection. Strax barely blocked in time, and Meaghan stabbed down with the staff, hitting Strax’s side.   
Sketch ran over to them and said, “Meaghan wins. It’s my turn.”  
Meaghan turned to face Sketch and yelled, “Schmetterling, no!” when she saw the kitten jump at Sketch with all its razor sharp claws out.  
Sketch turned to look and immediately took his top hat off and dropped it on Schmetterling, and put his foot on the top to keep it in place. “Meaghan, you owe me a new top hat.”  
“Sorry.”  
As they were distracted, Strax got up and swung his katana at Meaghan, but it was blocked by Sketch, who had grabbed a wooden sword from the rack.  
“I said it was my turn, she has won your fight. Sister, take your cat and get me a new hat please.”  
Through all of the commotion, Darby had managed to hit all of Amalexia’s weak spots, knocking her to the floor. Darby slid her katana away and pinned her to the ground with the bo-staff.  
“Alright, you got me.” Amalexia admitted.  
Darby held her hand out to help her up, when Amalexia grabbed it and pulled. Darby went down, tucked her staff close to her side and rolled, landing back on her feet. She pointed it at Amalexia again signifying that she wasn’t giving up.  
Amalexia laughed, “Ok, now we are really done. Good job little one.”  
“Hey! I’m older than you!” She protested. She loved being little, but hated when people called her that.  
“True, but you are small.” Amalexia said, getting up.  
Darby smiled and looked over at the doorway. She had known the Doctor was there, but had only just now acknowledged it. She looked at his face, and noticed his expression.  
“Doctor? What’s wrong?” She asked, concerned.  
“You just took on Amalexia single handedly…” He said.  
“Yeah? What about it?” She said, concern growing.  
“You… You just beat someone way taller and stronger than you.” He said.  
“So? Meaghan took on Strax. Sure, she’s got the height in that one, but he is definitely stronger.” She said. “And why is that shocking? You know I’m a strategist, and I thought it was obvious that I was trained by these two,” She gestured towards Meaghan and Sketch, “And… him….” She finished.  
The Doctor nodded, “Right… Okay… Have fun.” He said. Then he left.  
After his fight with Strax, Sketch walked over to where Meaghan was repairing the damage done by Schmetterling to his hat.  
“Darby come here!” Sketch yelled.  
After Darby joined her siblings, Sketch said, “I didn’t know what to get you, but I think this will do.”  
He held out two vials of faintly glowing liquid on necklaces.   
“What is it?” Meaghan asked after she and Darby each took one.  
Instead of an answer Sketch just smiled, threw a black cube at Darby, and walked over to Amalexia.  
As Sketch and Amalexia started their fight, Darby and Meaghan examined the cube. It was solid and had strange runes carved into all six sides, and it felt like metal. Darby shrugged and put it in her pocket.  
Darby looked at Meaghan who had begun fixing Sketches hat again. She sighed, “Follow me.” She walked upstairs with Meaghan and Schmetterling following.  
“Doctor! We are running to the TARDIS really quick to get Sketch a new hat while he’s sparing! Be back in a minute!” They called. They walked out the front door and Darby unlocked the TARDIS door with her bracelet.  
They ran to the wardrobe room, and began picking out things to give Sketch for Christmas besides a new hat. Meaghan found a top hat sitting on a shelf of strange hats and picked it up. Darby walked over to the scarf rack, deciding that Sketch needed a scarf, and looked for a black one. She saw purple, orange, and a few other colors. One that particularly caught her eye, however, was a really long multi-colored, striped scarf. She wrapped it around her own scarf and turned to Meaghan, modeling.  
“You think Sketch would like this?” She asked sarcastically.  
“In a million years, probably.” Meaghan looked around for her kitten. “Schmetterling, kommen here!”  
“Please don’t talk in German. It’s weird.” Darby said, smiling. “Ah, perfect.” She said, picking out an almost new black scarf. “Let’s go.”  
They ran back in, shouting to the Doctor that they were back, then ran downstairs. Sketch had been knocked down when they entered, and his weapon was knocked away from him, which means he lost.  
Well, he won’t be happy now, will he? Darby asked Meaghan in her head.  
Nope. She replied.  
Sketch got up and both girls walked over to him. Meaghan held out his new hat and Darby held out the scarf. Sketch smiled and put them both on.  
“Let’s go see what the adults are doing upstairs,” Amalexia suggested.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
They all sat down at the dining room table when Jenny announced dessert. Pumpkin pie, chocolate pudding, and vanilla cake was laid out on the table for everyone to get what they want. Everyone was quiet while they were eating when Darby suddenly laughed.  
“Why are you laughing?” The Doctor asked.  
“Meaghan told me a joke,” She said.  
“No she didn’t. She didn’t say anything.” Vastra said.  
“She told me telepathically. We almost always talk like this.” Darby said, turning to look at Meaghan.  
Everyone except Sketch put down their spoons and forks. They stared at the girls in something like terror mixed with curiosity. The Doctor, however, looked at them with an unreadable expression.  
“Why is that weird? You guys can do it too….” Darby and Meaghan said together, growing slightly scared.  
“Because you girls shouldn’t be able to do it anymore, considering your creator is dead and the connection was broken in the two older ones! The only one who could still have it would be you!” Strax shouted, pointing at Darby.  
“What are you saying? I’m not… I didn’t…” Darby’s eyes began to fill with tears.  
Meaghan grabbed Darby’s hand and they both ran out the door together, grabbing their staffs on the way.  
“Girls! Come back! Please!” The Doctor desperately called out after them.  
They both continued running. Darby pulled Meaghan into an alley and pulled two staff holsters out. They put them on and slid the staffs into the sleeve in the back, then continued running. They stopped again when they reached the river’s barrier. Darby had tears streaming down her face by this point. Meaghan took a piece of cloth out of her shirt pocket and wiped Darby’s tears. She gave her a hug.  
“Hey, it’s ok. Sketch and I think you’re awesome.” Meaghan said, trying to comfort her.  
Darby looked at Meaghan and sniffed. They began walking around london, exploring. After about ten minutes they heard Strax yelling at a horse to hurry up. Seeing Vastra and Jenny’s carriage approaching, they scaled a wall and climbed onto the roof. They sat down attempting to hide.  
“Hello sisters.” Sketch said, as he threw Schmetterling at Meaghan “Your cat is annoying.”  
Meaghan put Schmetterling in her vest pocket. Both girls stared at Sketch. Sketch looked at Darby, who had tears in her eyes again.  
“Come here sister dear.” He said, pulling her into a hug. “I’ve always watched out for you two, but I don’t know how I can protect you from this. The Doctor isn’t mad. He’s terrified for your safety. And trust me, hiding on a roof won’t be enough. They are searching everywhere for you. If you really don’t want to be found, I would hide somewhere no one would think of.” He glanced over at the river. “But I don’t recommend it.”  
“They think Darby still has the connection… Who knows what they’ll do if they find us…” Meaghan said.  
“It always comes down to protecting the youngest, doesn’t it?” He turned to Darby, “You need to be completely honest, do you hear the Drums. Have you heard them since he died?”  
Darby shook her head, “No. I can still talk to Meaghan and things but I can’t hear the Drums.”  
“Good. Well, something tells me we’ve been found.” Sketch said.  
“What do you mean?” Darby and Meaghan asked together.  
They both felt a tap on their shoulder. Jumping, they turned around to see Amalexia sitting behind them. A second later, Jenny appeared over the slanted edge of the house. Immediately standing up, Meaghan grabbed Darby’s hand and they both began backing away, ready to run whenever they needed.  
“Don’t run. It’s ok.” Jenny said, climbing onto the roof and sitting beside Amalexia.  
“We just want to talk to you.” Amalexia said.  
The girls calmed down. Meaghan still held tight to Darby’s hand, but they stood next to Sketch.  
“I won’t let you hurt her.” Meaghan said, pushing Darby behind her.  
“I know you won’t. I am positive Sketch won’t either. I’m not here to hurt her. We just want to talk.” Jenny said softly, “Preferably out of the snow.”  
The girls realised how much snow they were standing in on the roof when Jenny said that. They suddenly acknowledged that they were cold and wet. They both nodded. They all climbed down from the roof. Meaghan and Sketch stood on either side of Darby and held her hands. Jenny asked if they wanted to enter the carriage and be driven home, but they decided to walk. On their way, Darby kicked her foot really hard against a wall.  
“Why did you do that?” Sketch asked.  
“The Doctor can figure out where we are through our sonics if either of us get hurt. I figured he should know where we are too.” Darby replied.  
Sure enough, the Doctor came sprinting towards them through an alleyway. He walked next to Meaghan and began walking with them. Meaghan held his hand.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
When they arrived back at the house, Vastra and Jenny were sitting in Vastra’s conservatory. They assumed that Strax had been sent away. They walked in, and Darby sat down in the chair across from Vastra’s.  
“Tea?” Amalexia offered, entering the room.  
“No thanks.” Darby said.  
Sketch and Meaghan stood at Darby’s elbows, ready to defend their sister. The Doctor stood behind Vastra’s chair, and Amalexia left the room, closing the door behind her.  
“Schmetterling, no!” Meaghan yelled, as the kitten pounced out of her vest pocket and toward Jenny.  
Vastra caught Schmetterling inches from Jenny’s face, and tossed her back to Meaghan.  
“Sorry…” Meaghan said quietly.  
“Darby, have you heard the Drums lately?” Vastra asked  
“No.” Darby said simply.  
“I have seen the Master return, no matter how impossible the odds of survival are.” The Doctor told them, “It would not be impossible for him to come back, as I have learnt the hard way.”  
“If you ever hear the drums again, Darby, tell someone immediately.” Vastra said.  
“I know. And I would have if I’ve heard them, which I haven’t.” Darby responded.  
Vastra and Jenny considered her for a moment. The three children stared at them, waiting for a reaction. For about three minutes, they sat in silence. Finally, Vastra spoke.  
“Can Darby and I speak alone for a moment?” She said. It was more of a statement than a question.  
“But-” Meaghan started.  
“Come on, just let them talk.” The Doctor interrupted, leading Sketch and Meaghan out of the room, with Jenny close behind.  
“We’ll be right outside if you need us,” Sketch called through the door as Jenny shut it.  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
Ten minutes later, Darby walked out of the room with Vastra close behind her. She walked over to Meaghan, Sketch and the Doctor.  
“I have to go. Goodbye sisters.” Sketch said, hugging them both. “Doctor,” He said with a nod. “Vastra, Jenny,” He said, bowing.  
“Bye Sketch.” Darby said.  
“Bye Sketch.” Meaghan said. Though they said the same thing, they decided to say it separately, considering the circumstances.  
Sketch walked out the door and climbed a wall. In a few moments, he was out of sight.  
“We should probably be going too.” The Doctor said.  
“Bye,” Meaghan said.  
“Bye,” Darby said.  
They walked outside into the TARDIS, where Meaghan put Schmetterling down. She immediately pounced on Darby’s sneakers and began tearing them to shreds.  
“Don’t destroy anything else, okay?” Meaghan said. The cat gave a purring noise in response and laid under the console to recharge.  
“I should probably get new shoes….” Darby said, breaking the awkward silence in the TARDIS. She walked off to the wardrobe room.  
Meaghan decided to stay behind to watch Schmetterling.  
“Meaghan, you need to promise to tell me if you notice anything off about her. Alright?” The Doctor asked.  
“I promise.” Meaghan replied.  
“Okay. Good.” He said, flipping levers and pushing buttons.  
Darby came back into the room with black lace-up boots on. They came up to about the middle of her shin.  
“They’re nice.” Meaghan said.  
“I’m tired. I’m going to go to bed.” Darby replied, walking off.  
Want me to come? Meaghan asked Darby telepathically.  
No. I want to be alone for a bit. And maybe we should stop talking like this for a while. She replied, walking off.  
Meaghan sat down in the chair near the console. No one talked. For once, the TARDIS was silent.


End file.
